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Published Dec 2010
784 pages
Genre: Biography/Memoir
Publication Information
The acclaimed author of the New York Times bestseller Ike returns with a definitive new biography of the legendary British scholar, adventurer, soldier, and hero who became a myth in his lifetime—T. E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia"
Michael Korda's Hero is the story an epic life on a grand scale, a revealing, in-depth, and gripping biography of the extraordinary, mysterious, and dynamic Englishman whose daring exploits and romantic profile—including his sun-burnished blonde looks and flowing white robes—made him an object of intense fascination, known the world over as "Lawrence of Arabia." Yet unlike other biographers, Korda does not seek to burnish or destroy the legend; rather he aims to demystify and reveal the real man—T. E. Lawrence—as he truly was.
An Oxford scholar and archeologist, one of the five illegitimate sons of a British aristocrat who ran away with his daughters' governess, Lawrence was sent to Cairo as an intelligence officer in 1916, vanished into the desert in 1917, and re-emerged as the greatest and most colorful figure of World War I. A foreigner, he united and led the Arab tribes to defeat the Turks and eventually capture Damascus. Yet as he illuminates Lawrence's achievements, Korda digs further to expose the flesh-and-blood man and his contradictory nature: A born leader utterly fearless and seemingly impervious to pain, thirst, fatigue and danger who remained shy, modest, and retiring; a scholar and an aesthete who was also a bold and cold-blooded warrior. Yet as Korda shows, Lawrence was not only a man of his times, but a visionary whose achievements—as a farsighted diplomat, brilliant military strategist, the first media celebrity, and acclaimed writer—transcended them.
Korda analyzes Lawrence's vision for the modern Middle East, plans that, if they had been carried through, might have prevented the hatred and bloodshed that have become ubiquitous to the region. Ultimately, as his magisterial work demonstrates, Lawrence remains the paradigm of the hero in modern times, the arch-heroic types whose life is at once a triumph and a sacrifice, and whose capacity to astonish remains undimmed.
"Starred Review. [A] magisterial biography...[a] vivid portrait of Lawrence and his warring impulses captures the brilliance and charisma of this fascinating figure." - Publishers Weekly
"Because so much has already been written by and about Lawrence, there is not much new here. The book's value is in its readability—it will draw in even those familiar with Lawrence. His life deserves a new biography every few years. History buffs and general readers will appreciate this well-written, fast-moving exposition of the rich life of an individual." - Library Jounral
"Comprehensive. ... An accessible, textured story of one man who intimately knew the slings and arrows of outrageous fortune." - Kirkus Reviews
"Much has been written about him, but no one has succeeded in illuminating the quintessential Lawrence of Arabia so profoundly and so well as Michael Korda. Hero is a work of brilliance, discernment and meticulous scholarship that surely will be hailed as the gold standard." - Henry A. Kissinger
"T.E. Lawrence is next to impossible to fix on the page. Yet Michael Korda has done so, delivering up a crowded, improbable life in a page-turning biography, every bit as rich as its protean subject. A splendid read." - Stacy Schiff, author of Cleopatra: A Life
"Michael Korda's new biography of Lawrence of Arabia is big-hearted and provocative—a page-turner that also helps us understand how the Middle East became the confused mess it is today. Hero is a magnificent achievement." - Nathaniel Philbrick
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Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
New York Times bestselling author Michael Korda's books include Ike, Charmed Lives, Horse People, Ulysses S. Grant, and Journey to a Revolution. Educated at Le Rosey in Switzerland and at Magdalen College, Oxford, he served in the Royal Air Force. He lives with his wife, Margaret, in Dutchess County, New York.
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