Lawrence George Durrell

British novelist and poet. Born in India on February 27th, he returned to Japan at the age of 11. After failing his university entrance exams, he worked in various jobs, including as a nightclub pianist, a race car driver, and a real estate agent. In 1935, he moved to the Greek island of Corfu with his mother and younger siblings, where he led an idyllic life while also becoming serious about writing. His novel The Black Book (Paris, 1938), which he wrote under the influence of Henry Miller, attracted some attention for its depiction of the unrestrained lifestyle of young people living in a barren city, and in his poetry collections such as A Country of One (1943), he chose the scenery of the eastern Mediterranean as his subject matter, establishing a unique world of poetry. During and after the Second World War, he worked for the British Foreign Office Intelligence Service, stationed in Cairo, Alexandria, Rhodes, Belgrade, Cordoba, and briefly worked as a school teacher in Cyprus, but retired to the south of France to concentrate on writing again, and his novel, The Alexandria Quartet (1957-60), quickly made him a household name. His subsequent two-part novel, The Rebellion of Aphrodite (1968-70), is set in Athens, Istanbul, and London, and is a love story with strong allegorical overtones, involving brothers and sister who run a secret society-like international corporate organization, an inventor who marries the sister and is drawn into the organization, an alcoholic architect, a former prostitute turned film actress, and an android that is a spitting image of the sister. His other works include the pentalogy "Monsieur" (1974), "Libya" (1978), "Constance" (1982), "Sebastian" (1983), "Quinx" (1985), the novel "Cefalù" (1947, later renamed "Dark Labyrinth" in 1961), a treatise on modern poetry, a guidebook, plays, a collection of humorous short stories depicting the life of a diplomat, and a boy's adventure novel. Because of his unique climates and themes, his grand plots, and his gorgeous writing style, he was often called a Gothic novelist.

[Yuichi Takamatsu]

"The Black Book" translated by Kono Ichiro (Chuko Bunko)" ▽ "The Alexandria Quartet" translated by Takamatsu Yuichi (1960-63, Kawade Shobo Shinsha)" ▽ "Aphrodite's Rebellion" translated by Fujikawa Yoshiyuki (Part 1: Tunku, 1973; Part 2: Nunkuam, 1976, Chikuma Shobo)" ▽ "Soul and Dance, a Praise of Lawrence Durrell" by Niwa Tadashi (1977, Kobe Books)

Source: Shogakukan Encyclopedia Nipponica About Encyclopedia Nipponica Information | Legend

イギリスの小説家、詩人。2月27日、インドに生まれ11歳で帰国。大学受験に失敗して、ナイトクラブのピアニスト、カーレーサー、不動産業者などを転々とした。1935年、母や弟妹らとともにギリシアのコルフ島に移住、牧歌的な生活を営みながら本格的な創作に手を染めた。ヘンリー・ミラーの影響を受けて書いた小説『黒い本』（パリ、1938）は、不毛な都会に住む若者らの奔放な生態を描いて一部の注目をひき、『ひとりの国』（1943）ほかの詩集では、東地中海の風物を題材に選び、特異な詩の世界を確立した。第二次世界大戦中から戦後にかけてイギリス外務省情報局に勤務、カイロ、アレクサンドリア、ロードス島、ベオグラード、コルドバなどに駐在、一時キプロス島の学校教師を勤めたが、南フランスに引退してふたたび創作に専念し、小説『アレクサンドリア四重奏』（1957～60）で一挙に文名を高めた。その後に発表した二部作『アフロディテの反乱』（1968～70）は、アテネ、イスタンブール、ロンドンを舞台に、秘密結社めいた国際企業組織の経営者兄弟とその妹、彼女と結婚して組織に引き込まれる発明家、酒浸りの建築家、娼婦(しょうふ)あがりの映画女優、彼女に生き写しの人造人間などが絡み合う愛欲小説で、寓意(ぐうい)的な色彩が濃い。ほかに、五部作『ムッシュー』（1974）、『リビア』（1978）、『コンスタンス』（1982）、『セバスチャン』（1983）、『クウィンクス』（1985）、小説『チェファルー』（1947、改題『暗い迷路』1961）、現代詩論、土地案内記、劇、外交官生活を描いた滑稽(こっけい)短編集、少年冒険小説などがある。特異な風土と題材、大仕掛けな筋立て、華麗な文体などを特徴とするため、しばしばゴシック小説家とよばれた。

［高松雄一］

『河野一郎訳『黒い本』（中公文庫）』▽『高松雄一訳『アレキサンドリア四重奏』（1960～63・河出書房新社）』▽『富士川義之訳『アフロディテの反乱』（第一部『トゥンク』1973、第二部『ヌンクァム』1976・筑摩書房）』▽『丹羽正著『魂と舞踊、ロレンス・ダレル頌しょう』（1977・コーベブックス）』

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