D. H. Lawrence: Triumph to Exile 1912–1922: The Cambridge Biography of D. H. Lawrence(Volume 2 The Cambridge Biography of D. H. Lawrence 3 Volume Set)

This second volume of the acclaimed Cambridge Biography of D. H. Lawrence covers the years 1912–22, the period in which Lawrence forged his reputation as one of the greatest and most controversial writers of the twentieth century. During this period Lawrence produced the trio of novels with which he was to revolutionise English fiction over the next decade. It was a painful process: Sons and Lovers was crudely cut by its publisher; The Rainbow was destroyed by court order; and Women in Love took almost three years to find a publisher. This 1996 biography tells the writing life too, tracing the illuminating relations between man and manuscript, without confusing life and art. Drawing on previously unseen information from the Cambridge Editions of the Letters and Works, and original research, fresh light is shed on questions of Lawrence's sexuality, health, quarrels and friendships, which have been more often gossiped or theorised about than scrupulously examined.

Table of Contents:
Part I. A World of Promise: 1. New life; 2. New utterance; 3. The Wedding Ring; Part II. Spear in the Side: 4. The Rainbow; 5. Rainbow's end; Part III. Cornwall: 6. Midwinter life; 7. Orpheus descending; Part IV. A Kind of Wintering: 8. On a ledge; 9. Marking time; Part V. Italy Again: 10. Capri and Sicily; 11. On the move; 12. A sense of finality.

Review :
Review of the hardback: 'This is indispensable. It is, quite simply, the best book on Lawrence I have ever read, a really magnificent piece of work. Its theme is the interplay between Lawrence's ideas and his fictions … nowhere has that dialectic been described more plausibly and more sensitively than in this marvellous book.' Ray Monk, Observer Review of the hardback: 'The expanse of this particular study … testifies to the almost Lawrentian care and richness with which Kinkead-Weekes has explored the novelist's private dramas.' Peter Ackroyd, The Times Review of the hardback: 'This volume meets every requirement of an ideal biography. There is an immensely helpful chronology plus appendices … there are the maps and photographs, the 200-plus pages of notes make a supplementary book of their own; the index is simply magnificent; and the text itself bundles its vast amount of material with meticulous patience, while the writing is marked by fairness and tolerance throughout.' Tony Tanner, The Times Literary Supplement Review of the hardback: 'Mark Kinkead-Weekes combines alert and readable prose with a staggering depth of scholarship.' Boyd Tonkin, New Statesman and Society Review of the hardback: 'This biography is a work of scrupulous attentiveness.' Guardian Review of the hardback: 'Sensitive, illuminating, full of insight.' Financial Times Review of the hardback: 'This is a superb biography, a work of impeccable scholarship that includes an impressive component of notes, appendices, chronological tables, and family trees, as well as complete lists of Lawrence's prose and verse writing in the relevant period. A wonderful achievement.' The Virginia Quarterly Review Review of the hardback: 'The main strength of this biographer (Kinkead-Weekes) is his refusal to make facile judgements; instead he links Lawrence's personality disorders to his ability for dissecting human motivation.' The Irish Times Review of the hardback: 'Without confusing life and art, Kinkead-Weekes makes a good job of tracing Lawrence's writing life. The effect is stunning in its thoroughness. It is a monumental contribution to Lawrence studies, and a riveting, good read besides.' The Scotsman Review of the hardback: 'Mark Kinkead-Weekes has produced a wonderful second volume. His skill at sifting through anecdotage and speculation pays off in Triumph to Exile 1912–1922, the most convincing and objective account of Lawrence I have read.' The Sunday Times