Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda

Jul 30, 2012 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: non-fiction, england, history, biography, world-war-1, egypt, middle-east, iraq, syria

Very enjoyable read on T.E. Lawrence, with an emphasis on why he was a true hero in the classical sense.

In his thoughtful, even handed approach, Korda demystifies his role in facilitating the Arab revolt of diverse tribes against the Turkish during World War 1 and the establishment of Iraq, Jordan, and Israel in the post-war division of the Ottoman Empire. Korda addresses some of the negative viewpoints on Lawrence taken by other biographers and historians and does well to try to deflate the ps...more

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Dec 31, 2010 Jason rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having read most books on TEL (including Seven Pillars of Wisdom), I would have to say this is shaping up to be the best biography on TEL. Granted it starts off in a unique way, and is 700+ pages, but at page 220 I'm finding it hard to put down and one I don't want to end. Korda has uncovered information about TEL I didn't know before - why this has been missed in other biographies is beyond me. It adds to the TEL enigma. Korda's writing style is generally easy to read, however some sentences ca...more

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Feb 11, 2013 Chip Walter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

Wonderful book! Thoroughly researched life of an absolutely fascinating character. He was so extraordinarily different and strange that it's difficult to believe he wasn't invented. The parts of the book that deal with Lawrence's mideast campaign and heroics were fascinating, but Korda does an equally great job with the telling of his youth and post war life.

My only small issue is that the whole book is VERY pro Lawrence (as you might imagine from the title) and I sometimes worried that Korda w...more

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Aug 31, 2012 Booknblues rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really had no idea how riveting the story of T.E Lawrence’s life would be, when I picked up Michael Korda’s Hero; The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence, was a complex man of extraordinary talents and Korda does well in presenting him as such.

T.E. Lawrence was an expert of medieval castles, and ancient pottery, an archaeologist, a military strategist, the leader of a force of Arabs who helped to turn the tide in World War I, a force and political strategist who helped to define th...more I really had no idea how riveting the story of T.E Lawrence’s life would be, when I picked up Michael Korda’s Hero; The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia. Lawrence, was a complex man of extraordinary talents and Korda does well in presenting him as such.

T.E. Lawrence was an expert of medieval castles, and ancient pottery, an archaeologist, a military strategist, the leader of a force of Arabs who helped to turn the tide in World War I, a force and political strategist who helped to define the borders of the modern Middle East, a gifted author, a translator of the Odyssey, a designer of marine craft and boats and disappeared into the RAF as a simple private.

Lawrence, always a complex man who often tormented those with too proper an attitude about class and stations of life, had a somewhat elfin personality but like many of the Lost Generation suffered from bouts of depression brought on by what we would term today as PTSD. Like many before and since he was ill-equipped to deal with fame and found a unique way to retreat from the world.

Korda does an excellent job of presenting the true and complex Lawrence. While reading the book, I found myself thinking of an actor who could possibly fill the role in a true manner. Such a great hero but also such a torn and tragic figure.

Korda actually had me interested in military strategy and his chapters about the war in the Middle East was compelling and interesting and I couldn’t get enough of that. The picture of Lawrence under a railway bridge setting explosive before the arrival of an oncoming train, or him riding on a camel with the Bedouins through the endless desert, or tearing through the desert in his Silver Cloud is astonishing. Here is a brief passage about travels in the Middle East:

"Lawrence and his two Arab escorts rode on through the moonlit night and into the glare of day, crossing a valley so wide that it seemed like a plain, down which the Turks, had they chosen to , could have descended to the southwest from Medina in strength to take Rabegh, and past a village where they were joined by a"a garrulous old man" on a camel, who plied them with questions and offered them "the unleavened dough cake of yesterday, crumpled while still warm between the fingers, and moistened with liquid butter till its particles would only fall apart reluctantly." Sprinkled with sugar, this was a delicacy of the Hejaz, which Obeid and his son ate greedily, but which Lawrence compared to eating "damp sawdust."

What I didn’t love was the heft and sheer volume of the book. I sincerely believe that a hundred pages could easily have been edited from the book. I could have done without at least one or two of the discussions about his sexuality or lack thereof. I really could have gone without reading a half dozen pages about his relationship with his mother.

I highly recommend this book for any history fan.(less)

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Apr 06, 2012 Stephen Phillips rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: subject-history, subject-irregular-warfare

T.E. Lawrence is a fascinating historical figure whose life is often blurred between fact and fiction. This may be because Lawrence himself would simultaneously step into the limelight, while denying his own identity. He was a shapeshifter, “Lawrence of Arabia” one moment, Aircraftman First Class T.E. Shaw the next. Those around him went along with the ruse, like a Tony Clifton audience sans nicotine and alcohol, hoping he would revert to Colonel Lawrence, “the uncrowned King of Arabia” before t...more T.E. Lawrence is a fascinating historical figure whose life is often blurred between fact and fiction. This may be because Lawrence himself would simultaneously step into the limelight, while denying his own identity. He was a shapeshifter, “Lawrence of Arabia” one moment, Aircraftman First Class T.E. Shaw the next. Those around him went along with the ruse, like a Tony Clifton audience sans nicotine and alcohol, hoping he would revert to Colonel Lawrence, “the uncrowned King of Arabia” before the act was over. Michael Korda sifts through this, Lawrence’s interesting and confusing life, in the aptly-titled biography, Hero.

Korda starts with a description of Lawrence’s World War I service, his eighteen months leading the Arabian revolt against the Turks. The detail here is enough that someone who is unfamiliar with Lawrence will begin to realize why his actions were studied by Mao and Che Guevara, and remain important scholarship for unconventional warriors today. Hero then starts at the proverbial beginning, chronicling Lawrence’s childhood and college years where his intelligence, endurance, and quirkiness all combined to form this unique character. Most enjoyable are Korda’s description of Lawrence Oxford years, especially his study of archeology in Egypt, Turkey, and throughout the rest of what is today’s Middle East that made him so familiar with the various tribes, cultures, and dialects and thus invaluable to British efforts against the Turks.

Hero thoroughly covers the revolt in the desert, quoting at times from Lawrence’s own work on the subject, Seven Pillars of Wisdom: A Triumph. Korda adds his own insight into some of the actions, and the geopolitical fencing between the French and British as they determined the lines to be drawn in this new territory vis-à-vis the Sykes-Picot agreement. He also includes a much appreciated discussion of Lawrence’s role as the advisor to Prince Faisal in the post-war talks.

Like Lawrence’s college years, Korda thoroughly covers the years when he sought anonymity while simultaneously publishing Revolt in the Desert and The Seven Pillars of Wisdom. It is most curious that Lawrence would develop long friendships with the likes of Winston Churchill and Bernard and Charlotte Shaw (whose name adopted as his nom de guerre), while serving in the enlisted ranks as means to avoid attention. He even surreptitiously attended Lowell Thomas’ performance in London of With Allenby in Palestine and Lawrence in Arabia, likely reveling in the tale while hoping nobody noticed him.
The whole account is a valuable addition to any library, but especially those who appreciate history and T.E. Lawrence in particular. Korda should be most commended for the aforementioned sections on Lawrence’s college and post-war years as they provide insight into the man not commonly found elsewhere.
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Apr 04, 2012 Filth Ritual rated it 5 of 5 stars

In recent years my Dad and I have been recommending books to one another and during the holiday season more often than not each end up with a generous pile of reading. I knew about as much about T.E. Lawrence as anyone who had seen the wonderful film redition startting Peter O'Toole. Curious I delve in. Korda's work only affirmed for me a feeling that I have strongly embraced for years and that simply is that the word Hero is to frequently applied to individuals not fit of the word. Simply typin...more In recent years my Dad and I have been recommending books to one another and during the holiday season more often than not each end up with a generous pile of reading. I knew about as much about T.E. Lawrence as anyone who had seen the wonderful film redition startting Peter O'Toole. Curious I delve in. Korda's work only affirmed for me a feeling that I have strongly embraced for years and that simply is that the word Hero is to frequently applied to individuals not fit of the word. Simply typing in the key word search for Korda's work here an one is left to sift through over 200 choices.
Very quickly I was engulfed into the world of T.E.Lawrence, collegues, associates, etc. Korda provides exhaustive detail and support in to every possible aspect of Lawrence's life. The comfortable and not so. Not everything was perfect about him. Like all he was not without his quirks or faluts. However, what he did grasp that so many of the military brass in the UK during the First World War criminally failed to do so was that in order to succeed one must be prepared to embrace non traditional means. The war was not going to be one simply pushing man after man out of the trenches into certain death and Lawrence clearly saw that. Early on he understood and saw the key to success in his field of battle. He was aware that the in order to achieve said success you must first win the hearts and minds of those you are enlisting to serve along side. Honesty.
The book takes us into the lives of Lawrence's family and gives great insight into the sort of man he was to become through his early relationships with his mother and father and other influences. It follows him through Oxford and into the dessert pre war for is digs where he falls in love with the region and develops a deep respect and admiration for the people.
As stated above Karda goes into vast detail reagrding Lawrence and other key playes assoicated with him throughout the War and leading up to the Paris Peace Conferences.
Karda also takes us into the world in which Lawrence so difficultly struggles to adjust to post peace treay. The struggle of writing his master piece, The Seven Pillars of Wisdom, and life as a Hero. The book also addresses issues that Lawrence during his lifetime struggled himself to come to terms with and scarcely if at all discussed them with anyone.
Since completeing this book sometime last summer I have on countless occasions sought out other publications on Lawrence and of course his sadly limited output. I have read over correspondence between Lawrence and various confidences' throughout his life, and continue to be fascinated by this man.
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Mar 12, 2012 Colin Birge rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history, biography, middle-east

T.E. Shaw aka T.E. Ross aka T.E. Lawrence aka 'Lawrence of Arabia' was one of the most fascinating, compelling personalities of the twentieth century. I'd seen the movie and even read bits of "Seven Pillars of Wisdom," but this was the first full biography of Lawrence I'd read. It's a revelation.

It's a long book but a compelling read. Korda launches right away into the story of one of Lawrence's early military campaigns and only later backtracks to cover his background, education and growth. Mil...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Stuart rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia by Michael Korda. I very much enjoyed this book. Generally, all I knew of Lawrence was the film, so it was good to read a full biography. At first I was a little annoyed by the style in which it was written, which includes a lot of repetition. But I got over that, as I appreciated the author’s view of Lawrence as a whole – wartime leader, archaeologist, diplomat, and more. It would be easy to address only one aspect of his story – his wartime leade...more

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Jun 22, 2011 Marc Weitz rated it 5 of 5 stars

Few capture the imagination like Lawrence of Arabia. As the author notes, were he not a real person, you would have to invent him. Michael Korda’s excellent new biography skillfully whisks you along with Lawrence on his adventures and delves deeply into the life of this amazing, yet complex individual. Korda prefaces the book by defining who and what a hero is, seeking to return the definition to its ancient Greek origins. He complains bitterly that the word is thrown around loosely these days,...more Few capture the imagination like Lawrence of Arabia. As the author notes, were he not a real person, you would have to invent him. Michael Korda’s excellent new biography skillfully whisks you along with Lawrence on his adventures and delves deeply into the life of this amazing, yet complex individual. Korda prefaces the book by defining who and what a hero is, seeking to return the definition to its ancient Greek origins. He complains bitterly that the word is thrown around loosely these days, such as applying the label to those who had the misfortune to die in terrorist attacks. Korda describes a hero as someone who seeks out and performs heroic deeds in spite of the dangers -- actions that protect the innocent or fight evil and injustice. With this theme in mind, Korda starts the book in 1917, describing the actions that made Lawrence, Lawrence of Arabia.

With breathtaking description, Michael Korda recounts how Lawrence convinces the British Army that he is the man to lead the Arab insurgency against the Ottoman Empire. He builds trust with Arabs by learning their language, suffering the harsh environment along with them, and fighting bravely in battle. It also helps, that the British government supplies him with weapons and gold to give to the Arabs. But Lawrence responds by uniting tribes into battle groups and teaching them how to attack a superior force with hit and run attacks, sabotage, and avoiding decisive battles. In essence, he taught the Arabs how to destroy the Ottoman Empire with a “death of a thousand cuts.” These are lessons that are carried forward by Middle Eastern insurgents in modern times. However, it was also Lawrence who wrote manuals on how to quell such insurgencies – strategies that are still in use today.

Korda then goes back in time to tell of Lawrence’s parents, illegitimate birth, and childhood. Adhering to the hero theme, the author tells about how the young Lawrence prepared himself for his heroic role in World War I, without knowing about his future destiny. Lawrence taught himself Arabic, studied and read the great war treatises and about history, turned himself into a crack shot, learnt photography, and mapmaking. So that when the war began, he was the man to work first in the Arab Bureau in Cairo and then to lead to the Arab insurgents to victory.

Following the war, the book chronicles Lawrence’s declining mental state – attributing the cause to shell shock and guilt over leading the Arabs to fight for a homeland when he knew that England and France would betray them after the war. Lawrence becomes increasingly strange. He insists on enlisting in the RAF under an assumed name – a poorly kept secret that causes endless headaches for those in the government. However, his hard work and intelligence led to a number of innovations for the RAF. He changed how the service treats the enlisted men and designed new equipment such as a high-speed rescue boat. Much is said about his brilliant writing and the creation of his literary class, “Seven Pillars of Wisdom.” The book delves into his many close relationships and exams his sexuality, or lack thereof, by talking about an embarrassing chapter of his life where he hires a fellow soldier to whip him.

The book is well-researched and an exciting read. I enjoy authors who take the time to give background information on the era in which their subject lives. Korda gives interesting and quick synopses of the people with whom Lawrence associates himself. Further, he talks a lot about the events and culture of the time. The book takes the reader to another time and lets him experience a little of what it must have been like to be Lawrence of Arabia.
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May 03, 2011 Josh rated it 4 of 5 stars

T.E. Lawrence's adventures as a leader of the Arab Revolt in WWI make for a fascinating read all on their own. As a junior officer, he manages to master diplomacy, guerilla warfare, and regular battle tactics. But the book doesn't stop there. His post-war life was unbelievable. He was a foreign policy advisor at the Treaty of Versailles. He assisted Winston Churchill in crafting new states in the Middle East. Then he disappeared from public life and became an enlisted soldier in the Royal Air Fo...more

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Mar 30, 2011 Thomas Franko added it

Lawrence is a fascinating figure in history: a shaper of the the Middle East, a military genius, and an odd character who dreaded the touch of anyone. Korda, whose uncle once held the movie rights to Lawrence's biography, is sympathetic to the character and spends time debunking myths to get the story straight. Much of what Lawrence accomplished is the stuff of legend: guerrilla warfare on camel and Rolls Royce cars modified to carry weapons to attack trains, hard treks across the desert, libera...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

Never having read a biography of T.E. Lawrence ("Lawrence of Arabia"), but having been fascinated by his part in the Arab revolt during W.W.I, I looked forward to reading this book. I was quite happy with it. The author, Michael Korda, has written several other successful books prior to this and it shows.

Many years ago, after seeing the movie when it was first released, I read Lawrence's own account of his part in the revolt - "Seven Pillars of Wisdom". It was a wonderful experience. Then, abou...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Bookmarks Magazine rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: mar-apr-2011

Despite its grand, hagiographic title, one of Hero's greatest strengths is its ability to represent Lawrence -- "a scholar and warrior, an imperialist and supporter of Arab independence, a politician and rebel, a publicity seeker and recluse" (New York Times Book Review) -- as a complex, multilayered figure. Korda gives a painstaking account of Lawrence's audacious exploits, extraordinary victories, and disheartening failures. He also dissects previous biographers' disagreements, confronts some...more

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Feb 08, 2011 Miles added it

I've read perhaps five or six Lawrence of Arabia bios. Now I've lit on one called Hero
by Michael Korda, editor at Simon and Schuster. I didn't realize the title Hero was ironic until toward the end. Lawrence, it turns out, was a child who never grew up. He couldn't handle fame, he couldn't handle anything, once he'd become famous in an Arabian Nights Fairy Tale He created himself in the World War l Middle East. I'm beginning to see a pattern emerging here among many famous people like him, from...more I've read perhaps five or six Lawrence of Arabia bios. Now I've lit on one called Hero
by Michael Korda, editor at Simon and Schuster. I didn't realize the title Hero was ironic until toward the end. Lawrence, it turns out, was a child who never grew up. He couldn't handle fame, he couldn't handle anything, once he'd become famous in an Arabian Nights Fairy Tale He created himself in the World War l Middle East. I'm beginning to see a pattern emerging here among many famous people like him, from J D Salinger to Harper Lee, Lawrence and others. The story Korda teased out of the same sources as many of the other biographers of Lawrence discovered too, is that Lawrence's life after Arabia was a disaster. He didn't want to hold any job but being Lawrence and being left alone by the Press. What Lawrence couldn't stand and what Harper Lee, Charles Lindbergh and J D Salinger probably couldn't stand either, is the hijacking of their personalities by the Fourth Estate. Lawrence lived only 17 years after the Desert. He wrote two books about the desert, both of which I read. But I didn't know he spent nearly all of those 17 years trying to create his first book, Seven Pillars of Wisdom, as a specially illustrated and personalized version for each of about 130 celebrity friends he made once his desert venture became known. It cost him 13,300 pounds for this vanity book and it made him nothing. Friends like George Bernard Shaw told him Seven Pillars was perfect and would make him
rich beyond his wildest dreams. But Lawrence didn't want to be rich, he wanted to continue to live in the moment of the selfless hero. So he joined first the RAF, then, discovered as an ordinary airman there under an assumed name, he was booted out, entered the army, more trouble, back to the RAF, where his neurosis was tolerated and even aided and abetted by Churchill and others in government. He was a friend of Thomas Hardy and E M Forster, along with many others who loved him, and who he would visit on weekends.. During the week he preferred being a well thought of comrade soldier. Its pretty clear that Thomas Chapman T E Lawrence of Arabia was a neurotic mess even in childhood. I have read this story many times but never has it been clarified what the story was on Lawrence. And I've figured out why: If biographers actually told the truth about their lives, the 'heroism' would collapse into ashes. So they tell the heroic story the reading and consuming public seems to want, instead. GBS, George Bernard Shaw, then an old man, with many plays under his belt, tried to encourage Lawrence to try to get used to the fame as he had: to accept the new version of himself as public plaything, live off it, trade on it. This wasn't stated in the book, but the only way to do that is to keep away from the adoring public, and Hold On Like a Rock to the Real You to yourself and the people you know and care about. GBS was so comfortable with his cliche public self that he felt at ease to even poke fun at his myth. Meanwhile, the private GBS clung tenaciously to his real core. I see that Lawrence's fantasy was too far out for even he to believe., it troubled him in his private life, he neither could stand being the fantasy Lawrence, nor could he stand criticism by other folks like journalists and biographers. It damaged him to read criticism of what he had done in the War and what he did afterwards. He published that expensive vanity book - which was re-edited and packaged commercially after his death anyway- so that ONLY HIS FRIENDS WHO WOULD NEVER CRITICIZE HIM TO HIS FACE, would get to see it in his lifetime. I don't think he wanted the book published publicly EVER! Of course, it was anyway. At bottom, Lawrence
was having trouble holding onto the parts of the Great Myth he'd deliberately created about himself on purpose, because he couldn't live without the fundamentals he had so resolutely sold himself since childhood. I think many of the personal issues about celebrity that ruined Lawrence troubles every major public figure including Presidents, that we ever hear about. For a long time now, I have thought the Presidential selection process not only damages people reaching for the brass ring of success, but produces second rate candidates for public office in the bargain. You have to be a maniac,increasingly, to be part of these charades. The damaged canidates eventually become our Congressman and Presidents, and WE ARE DAMAGED TOO, as a consequence. Incidentally, those custom vanity books Lawrence produced for his friends bring over $100K apiece and more when they come up for auction. There's another new book that goes beyond celebrity called Tough Without a Gun, about the MEANING of Humphrey Bogart to Americans who lived during his time and what Bogey has meant for those Americans who consume his legacy in the aftermath. That's a great idea for a book. I wrote the Lax library and asked them to get it for me. The final verdict on Lawrence: No one but he would have wanted to live his life, and only he could possibly have lasted at it as long as he did. He was killed in a motorcycle accident in 1935. He used the cycle for short and long trips and was courting danger by doing so. It was all part of the Lawrence life long neurosis, because on top of everything else, he needed an edge of danger in his life, which is what that motorcycle was all about.(less)

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Jan 17, 2011 Jenny Brown rated it 3 of 5 stars

The second half of this book is far more interesting than the first, which is a shame because I came close to giving up through the first few chapters which told me far more about Lawrence's military action in taking Aqaba than I wanted to know. By the end of the book it became clearer why I might want to know those details, but Korda just dumps them on us without giving us the orientation that would put what he's telling us in perspective.

My other cavil with this book is that Korda is mostly re...more

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Jul 26, 2011 Sweetwilliam rated it 4 of 5 stars

Another must read. I was a fan of the movie Lawrence of Arabia so I had to read this book. This was for the most part an outstanding read with the exception of a few chapters that were used to explain Lawrence's early childhood and the end of his life - these chapters could have been condensed. The book explains the Balfour decleration and how France, Russia and England met in 1916 to decide how the rapidly declining Ottoman Empire would be divided up amongst the modern powers (Sykes-Picot). The...more

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Feb 21, 2011 Lynne-marie rated it 5 of 5 stars

For such a lengthy book to sustain that "I can't bear to put it down" feeling is a work of art and such a feat is achieved in Hero by Michael Korda. A real tour de force. T.E. Lawrence was not Peter O'Toole nor was his life the picture many of us carry from the David Lean's movie. In this book we learn an even more intriguing - in every sense of the word -- view of Lawrence and his life both in the Arabian peninsula and after, when unsought notoriety had ruined the remainder of his life. Althoug...more

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May 12, 2011 Bob Mobley rated it 5 of 5 stars

Michael Korda has written a superb book examining the life of T.E. Lawrence and all of the actions and details of his multiple "careers." It is a first-class study of a brilliant and creative man who emerges from the first World War as the best recognized figure of that global conflict. It is Korda's opinion that the Lawrence legend was the result of the power of newspapers and early film. The fall of the Ottoman Empire and the resulting conflicts between warring tribal families are still at the...more

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Apr 30, 2011 Peter rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: books-about-books, biography, academic, history, philosophy, politics, religion

There are numerous studies and lives of T.E. Lawrence available, this new effort by the publisher/author Michael Korda is simply one of the best you will find. Korda has consulted it all, and brings a real sense of appreciation to the question of who was this man and what made him tick. Given that Lawrence has been dead some 75 years the 'why him, why now' questions need to be addressed and Korda does that in magnifiecent style. You need to know Lawrence if you want to understand the modern midd...more

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Mar 18, 2011 Zohar - ManOfLaBook.com rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2011

“Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia” by Michael Korda is a biography of Englishman Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence better known by his nickname. The biography follows Lawrence from his birth to his early death.

T.E. Lawrence was the illegitimate son of an Irish landowner who ran off with the family governess, Sarah Lawrence. They settled in Oxford, England using her name and brought up five sons, Thomas Edward being the second. From the start his mother had a difficult time accepting t...more “Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia” by Michael Korda is a biography of Englishman Thomas Edward (T.E.) Lawrence better known by his nickname. The biography follows Lawrence from his birth to his early death.

T.E. Lawrence was the illegitimate son of an Irish landowner who ran off with the family governess, Sarah Lawrence. They settled in Oxford, England using her name and brought up five sons, Thomas Edward being the second. From the start his mother had a difficult time accepting that Thomas will be different.

Thomas got interested in medieval architecture and toured studying castles all over the world on many grueling journeys, walking alone much of the way. As World War I broke out, Lawrence’s knowledge of the Ottoman Empire ensured him a post as an officer in Egypt and he quickly became the link between the British and the Arab revolt and becomes known to the world as Lawrence of Arabia.

“Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia” by Michael Korda is an amazing biography of a very complex man. After reading this book I finally understood the allure of Lawrence of Arabia: as ambiguous as he was in his lifetime, he is just as much ambiguous in his death.

Mr. Korda does an excellent job examining the different, often contradictory, sides of this complex man. Lawrence was an Oxford educated scholar with special interest in archeology and an imperialist, but he was also a ruthless warrior who supported a revolt against the empire. Fighting against the Turkish Ottoman rule Lawrence acted in a brave fashion which could also be described as fanatic and quite irresponsible. T.E. Lawrence was a sexually repressed vegetarian who would eat meat not to insult his Arab hosts, hated physical contact but didn’t flinch when charging the enemy.

“detractors and admirers alike tend to dissect his personalty into thin slices, separating the soldier form the scholar, the hero for the teller of tall tales, the victim of neuroses from the moan of action, and in the process losing sight of just what an attractive and interesting person he was.”

The author does an excellent job bringing the reader the many sides of Lawrence, from admiration “cool judgment under fire” to the introducing a complex man, depressed, shy but certainly eccentric. The T.E. Lawrence we learn about has “found himself in part of the world where his taste for sweet things and his dislike of alcohol were shared by most of the local population“.

Mr. Korda does a wonderful job describing Lawrence’s harassment and sabotage campaign (basically hit and run tactics) using a small force which, by nature, was much more mobile than the Turkish standing army. A poignant part of the book comes when describing Lawrence’s capture, torture and rape by the Turks. This was a life changing event for Lawrence and the humiliation he felt for enjoying the rape has haunted him to the end. Michael Korda treats this pivotal occurrence in Lawrence’s life with sensitivity and seriousness it deserves.

The transformation of T.E. Lawrence into the mythical Lawrence of Arabia mostly by Lowell Thomas is also a part of the story. However the author is quick to point out that the lure of his character does not overshadows Lawrence’s real achievement, such as pioneering a new kind of warfare and his pivotal rule in creating three Middle Eastern kingdoms.

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Jul 24, 2011 Seth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Spectacular read! From early in his life Lawrence aimed at becoming an epic hero. Korda details the risks he took to make his dreams a reality. He also makes clear that such heroism does not come without great cost for the man whose morality toward those whom he led and those countries and ideals he represented and those he killed never stopped haunting him until the day he died.
Korda does not force story out of pieces of Lawrence's life that may not have tied together so neatly as some have por...more

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Mar 09, 2011 April added it

Shelves: tabled

Just started this tome!

After 100+ pages of this 700+ page, very exhaustive work on T.E.Lawrence, I was losing steam and interest. Glad I read as much as I did, however, other books are calling. Opted not to make any recommendation based on such a partial read.

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May 29, 2012 Lance Houser rated it 4 of 5 stars

A good look at T.E. Lawrence, "Lawrence of Arabia." This biography covers his entire life, not just his time in Arabia. The author makes heavy use of Lawrence's own account, "Seven Pillars of Wisdom" and really goes into the writing and publishing of that book. Korda also makes use of Lawrence's tremendous amount of correspondence, especially covering his after war relationships and he also takes a deep look at the troubled relationship between Lawrence and his mother.

The only qualm I had with t...more

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Dec 15, 2010 Chris rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: biography

An epic biography to complement the epic movie. Don't be intimidated by the page count. It's hard not to engage in hagiography when the life of Lawrence is told. What a complex and fascinating man!! Korda's book is truly fair and balanced and seems to be a homage to a childhood hero. He was both a Nelson and a Lady Diana of his time. I'd always been curious about what he did with his life after WWI and the accident that took him from the world so early. Korda delves into this chapter of Lawrence...more

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May 20, 2011 Gayle rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lawrence of Arabia
I was 13 when David Lean's epic film "Lawrence of Arabia" debuted. I didn't actually see the film right away because I lived in a small town with no movie theater-only a drive-in where teens didn't actually watch the films. I really don't even remember when I saw the film first and, caring very little about world history at the time, I was not aware that T. E. Lawrence was a real person.

My love of history came much later when I lived for 3 years in Europe where history more or...more Lawrence of Arabia
I was 13 when David Lean's epic film "Lawrence of Arabia" debuted. I didn't actually see the film right away because I lived in a small town with no movie theater-only a drive-in where teens didn't actually watch the films. I really don't even remember when I saw the film first and, caring very little about world history at the time, I was not aware that T. E. Lawrence was a real person.

My love of history came much later when I lived for 3 years in Europe where history more or less slaps you in the face everywhere you go. This was only 20 years after WWII and running into people who lived through those years, and who didn't mind educating an American about what it is like to have a foreign army desecrate your home, was very easy.

I met people who were in the Dutch Underground. They showed me the radio rooms in their homes and told me how they determined that a message sender was not German by having him repeat the Dutch word for "eighty-eight," apparently almost impossible for a native German speaker. I met a former German POW who was held during the war in my state of birth-Texas. He had nothing but good things to say about his experiences in the prison camp. I lived near the "Siegfried Line" where the bunkers, blown up by the Allies, stood just as they were the day the war ended. These experiences, and others, sparked a life-long interest in history. At some point in time, I became aware that Lawrence of Arabia was not a fictitious character and I was hooked.

I just finished reading Michael Korda's Hero: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia. Michael Korda is a former editor-in-chief at Simon & Shuster who has written many works on historical figures and events. I read, and thoroughly enjoyed, his Ike: An American Hero. However, Hero is so comprehensive and so enthralling that it is almost impossible to put down, even at 784 pages. If you don't like long books, and don't care for history or military strategy, don't bother! If you want to know more about Lawrence but can't sit through page after page after...pick up T. E. Lawrence in War and Peace: An Anthology of the Military Writings of Lawrence of Arabia or Lawrence of Arabia: Selected Letters by Lawrence scholar Malcolm Brown.

Michael Korda presents such insight into this hero of the Arab Revolt during WWI, you can almost hear the thoughts of "Colonel Lawrence" throughout the book. T. E. Lawrence's dual nature-split between seeking adoration and then aversion to the same-uncanny ability for forward military and strategic thinking, intelligence, mystique, and personal suffering are all presented by Korda as a whole, thus allowing the reader to absorb all dimensions of Lawrence, the man, warts and all. We want heroes and Lawrence is a true hero, but a hero with flaws is all the more palatable and worthy of praise. (less)

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Jan 10, 2012 'Aussie Rick' rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: ww1, middle-east

This is one of the best books that I have read covering the life & times of T.E. Lawrence - 'Lawrence of Arabia'. The author covers in great detail his activities in the Middle East during WW1 but also provides lots of interesting information about Lawrence before the War and what happened to him post WW1. In fact, the accounts of his pre and post war experiences are just as interesting as his activities during the War, maybe even more so.

I found the author was a joy to read and presented La...more

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May 08, 2012 Sandy rated it 5 of 5 stars

Lawrence was probably one of the most enigmatic, interesting figures of his time. Korda does a superb job of illuminating the many dimensions of this man who provided real insights into the Arab people and devised a strategy that helped move them from under the Turk Thumb. But to limit Lawrence to his Middle East period minimizes the breadth of his mind; this book tracks his academic, naval, aeronautical, military tactics and so many other aspects of his life. Korda also adds to the reader’s com...more

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Apr 21, 2011 Sarah rated it 5 of 5 stars

Korda provides a remarkably detailed accounting and analysis of "The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia." Lawrence (of Shaw, as he preferred to be called in later years) was a brilliant military and political strategist, scholar, and personally a very strange man. Having never read a book about T.E. Lawrence, I was unaware how precisely the issues and conflicts in today's Middle East stem from the post-WWI carve-up of the former Ottoman Empire from Iraq to Israel. So in addition to being an i...more

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Jun 15, 2011 Pat rated it 5 of 5 stars

Outstanding Biography of T.E. Lawrence, examining the years leading up to, during, and after his involvement in the Arab Revolt during 1916-1918. T.E.L. (or T.E. Shaw, as he later changed his name), was an extraordinary individual, and this biography (though 800 pages) seeks to capture and explore the multitude of interactions and activities he had during his life. If you like History and/or Biographies, read this. Also, watching the movie after reading the book gives you a much better appreciat...more

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Nov 20, 2012 Matthew rated it 4 of 5 stars

To many, Lawrence of Arabia is a myth, a story that has appeared in movies and books that seem almost too remarkable to believe. Yet the truth is T.E. Lawrence was a real person who became the first and arguably the most trusted non-believer ever to be accepted by the Arabs. He invented modern Guerilla warfare and even more speedboat design. He led a great army and walked through thousands of miles of desert. He broke cultural as well as physical boundaries and changed the region forever. My ful...more

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