Etruscan Places

David Herbert Richards "D. H." Lawrence (11 September 1885 - 2 March 1930) was an English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic and painter. His collected works represent, among other things, an extended reflection upon the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. Some of the issues Lawrence explores are emotional health, vitality, spontaneity and instinct.
Lawrence's opinions earned him many enemies and he endured official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in a voluntary exile which he called his "savage pilgrimage." At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had wasted his considerable talents. E. M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this widely held view, describing him as, "The greatest imaginative novelist of our generation."

Lawrence is perhaps best known for his novels Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love and Lady Chatterley's Lover. Within these Lawrence explores the possibilities for life within an industrial setting. In particular Lawrence is concerned with the nature of relationships that can be had within such a setting. Though often classed as a realist, Lawrence in fact uses his characters to give form to his personal philosophy. His depiction of sexual activity, though seen as shocking when he first published in the early 20th century, has its roots in this highly personal way of thinking and being. It is worth noting that Lawrence was very interested in the sense of touch and that his focus on physical intimacy has its roots in a desire to restore an emphasis on the body, and re-balance it with what he perceived to be Western civilisation's over-emphasis on the mind.

This fascinating volume contains a collection of travel writings by D. H. Lawrence, first published after his death in 1932. In this text Lawrence compares the vibrant world of the Etruscan civilization with the dilapidation of Benito Mussolini's Italy during the late 1920s. The Etruscan civilization is the relatively modern moniker given to the civilization originating from ancient Italy in the areas of modern Tuscany, western Umbria, and northern Lazio. Not much is known of the Etruscans, and in this fascinating exploration of their culture, Lawrence pieces together what he can in order to furnish a unique insight into this lost race. The chapters of this volume include: D. H. Lawrence, Cervereri, Targuinia, The Painted Tombs of Tarquinia, Vulci, and Volterra. We are republishing this antiquarian volume now complete with a new prefatory biography of the author.