Seven Pillars of Wisdom

Thomas Edward Lawrence, or as he’s more famously known, Lawrence of Arabia, was not just a military genius, a man of action, politician, dreamer, and an adventurer. He was also an accomplished author. The “Seven Pillars of Wisdom” is Lawrence’s firsthand account of the Allied campaign against the Turks in the Middle East during the First World War. The conflict that ravaged the globe had a significant impact on Lawrence’s life. In 1915, his younger brothers Frank and Will lost their lives on the Western Front. Lawrence’s own journey led him to play a pivotal role in the Arab Revolt. As Lawrence’s memoir proves, the campaign in the Middle East was very different from the one staged in Europe but just as bloody, cruel, and terrible.

Written in a high-literary style, “The Seven Pillars of Wisdom” has yearnings to be placed in the pantheon of all-time heavyweight wordsmiths such as Dostoevsky, Melville, Yeats, and Joyce. The prose is extremely engaging and poignant, and the recollections dramatic and vivid. Yet what distinguishes Lawrence’s memoir is it has stood the test of time to remain one of the definitive statements of what life was like serving and fighting in the First World War. Lawrence’s calling card is his searing and unflinching honesty. He leaves no stone unturned when it comes to revealing the truth about the enemy, the conflict, and his own shortcomings.