Mountolive

Written by Lawrence Durrell

Narrated by Nicholas Boulton

‘Mountolive who had already found the open sesame of language ready to hand, suddenly began to feel himself really penetrating a foreign country...’ In Mountolive, the third volume in Durrell’s Alexandria Quartet, the events surrounding the interwoven community of Nessim, Justine, Narouz, Pursewarden and the other major characters are given a very different perspective. The intrigues and complex relationships are seen through the political prism of a world plunging towards war. David Mountolive, once emotionally involved with Nessim’s set, now returns to Egypt as the British ambassador…

• Language: English
• Publisher: Naxos Audiobooks
• Release date: May 31, 2021
• ISBN: 9781781983881

Lawrence Durrell

Born in Jalandhar, British India, in 1912 to Indian-born British colonials, Lawrence Durrell was a critically hailed and beloved novelist, poet, humorist, and travel writer best known for the Alexandria Quartet novels, which were ranked by the Modern Library as among the greatest works of English literature in the twentieth century. A passionate and dedicated writer from an early age, Durrell’s prolific career also included the groundbreaking Avignon Quintet, whose first novel, Monsieur (1974), won the James Tait Black Memorial Prize, and whose third novel, Constance (1982), was nominated for the Booker Prize. He also penned the celebrated travel memoir Bitter Lemons of Cyprus (1957), which won the Duff Cooper Prize. Durrell corresponded with author Henry Miller for forty-five years, and Miller influenced much of his early work, including a provocative and controversial novel, The Black Book (1938). Durrell died in France in 1990.  

Reviews for Mountolive

[Mariam Shah-Rais · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

This third installment in The Alexandria Quartet is the glue holding together the entire structure of the books. Again Durrell’s prose is exquisite, and beautifully narrated. A lot gets revealed in this book and history, culture, social mores and psychology all play a pivotal role. In my opinion The Alexandria Quartet is truly a masterpiece.