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Quote by Lawrence Durrell

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The Alexandria Quartet: Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, Clea

The Alexandria Quartet is a series of four interconnected novels that delve into the lives of various characters in the Egyptian city of Alexandria. The books, titled 'Justine', 'Balthazar', 'Mountolive', and 'Clea', collectively form a rich tapestry of human emotions, political intrigue, and philosophical musings. The narrative spans several decades and intertwines the personal and the historical, offering a nuanced portrayal of the human condition. more

Author

Lawrence Durrell
Lawrence Durrell

Lawrence Durrell was an English novelist known for his complex narrative structures and rich cultural background. His works often explore human emotions, religious beliefs, and philosophical thoughts, with his most famous work being the 'Alexandria Quartet'. more

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“The continuous narrative of existence is a lie. There is no continuous narrative, there are lit-up moments, and the rest is dark. When you look closely, the twenty-four hour day is framed into a moment; the still-life of the jerky amphetamine world. That woman-a pieta. Those men, rough angels with an unknown message. The children holding hands, spanning time. And in every still-life, there is a story, the story that tells you everything you need to know.”

“Vishous: "...we both would slaughter anything that so much as startled you." Jane: "I'm scared of mice and spiders. But you don't need to use that gun on your hip to blow a hole in a wall if I ran into one, okay? Havaheart traps and rolled newspapers work just as well. Plus, you don't need a Sheetrock patch and plaster job afterward. I'm just saying.”

“Where did love begin?What human being looked at another and saw in their face the forests and the sea? Was there a day, exhausted and weary,dragging home food, arms cut and scarred, that you saw yellow flowers and, not knowing what you did, picked them because I love you? In the fossil record of our existence, there is no trace of love. You cannot find it held in the earth's crust, waiting to be discovered. The long bones of our ancestors show nothing of their hearts.”