T. E. Lawrence

Contents lists

1888-1910

1911

1912

1913

1914

1915-16

1917-18

1919-20

1921

1922

1923

1924

1925

1926

1927

1928

1929

1930

1931

1932

1933

1934

1935

Updated June 2012

T. E. Lawrence to Bruce Rogers

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12/XII/29

Dear B. R.

I'm afraid I have not much in hand, ready for typing. I am working at it, doing about 40 hours a week: but that is only about 200 lines of finished stuff. It is a slow rate, 5 lines an hour.

Books VI and VIII go off with this letter (p. 57 - p. 73). I think they are better than most of the first six books. At least they seem to read well.

After this we come to the narrative of Odysseus, in which I'd like the style to quicken a little, and be business-like: only Homer, alas, was not of my view. It's all the same, all through.

The weather is very bad: we do much extra work therefore. Two of our motor boats were sunk last week Send me a page or two of page-proofs, when you next pass any good sheets. They will cheer me up. How goes the gold?

Yours

T.E.S.

I hope you'll like these two books. They are the product of much work. I am well on in two more, but will not have them this side of Christmas.

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T. E. Lawrence chronology

1888 16 August: born at Tremadoc, Wales

1896-1907: City of Oxford High School for Boys

1907-9: Jesus College, Oxford, B.A., 1st Class Hons, 1909

1910-14: Magdalen College, Oxford (Senior Demy), while working at the British Museum's excavations at Carchemish

1915-16: Military Intelligence Dept, Cairo

1916-18: Liaison Officer with the Arab Revolt

1919: Attended the Paris Peace Conference

1919-22: wrote Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1921-2: Adviser on Arab Affairs to Winston Churchill at the Colonial Office

1922 August: Enlisted in the Ranks of the RAF

1923 January: discharged from the RAF

1923 March: enlisted in the Tank Corps

1923: translated a French novel, The Forest Giant

1924-6: prepared the subscribers' abridgement of Seven Pillars of Wisdom

1927-8: stationed at Karachi, then Miranshah

1927 March: Revolt in the Desert, an abridgement of Seven Pillars, published

1928: completed The Mint, began translating Homer's Odyssey

1929-33: stationed at Plymouth

1931: started working on RAF boats

1932: his translation of the Odyssey published

1933-5: attached to MAEE, Felixstowe

1935 February: retired from the RAF

1935 19 May: died from injuries received in a motor-cycle crash on 13 May

1935 21 May: buried at Moreton, Dorset