Not I but the Wind

by Frieda Lawrence

Long out of print, and brought back to fill the new demand for it, Frieda Law­rence’s own story places in perspective the works of the man now regarded as the greatest English novelist of the twentieth century.

 

When Lawrence’s reputation was at its lowest, in the 1930s, various memoirs by those who had known him flourished, to the detriment of his own work, for potential readers saw him in the light of a fallen prophet. In the midst of such volumes, his widow’s book was valuable for its clear picture of the man who wrote so much remarkable prose and poetry.

 

Taking her title from a line of his po­etry, Frieda Lawrence wrote “Not I, But the Wind…”one of the most vivid portraits of an artist by the one who knew him best. Now that Lawrence’s works are receiving increasing attention and renewed critical acclaim, this book will in itself put the man in perspective for those who want to know more about him.

 

In his new Afterword written for this edition Harry T. Moore, the noted Law­rence scholar, has provided a valuable ac­count of Frieda and D. H. Lawrence to­gether, rounding out the story of these two unique lives.

320 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1934

Reviews

[Jim]

The actual title is "Not I, But the Wind...", taken from the first line of one of my favorite D. H. Lawrence poems "Song of a Man Who Has Come Through."

"Not I, not I, but the wind that blows through me!"

[Jbondandrews]

Not so much a story of Frieda and D.H.'s life together. About half was letters he wrote to one of her sisters and her mother. She was very reluctant to write about how she met Lawrence and their leaving her family.

[Ji]

I remember reading this during my college years. It's one of those books that got passed around in the student dorms. I remember sort of liking it, maybe for admiration of a true love, or for imagining what life could be like to elope with a famous writer.

[Rochelle]

I loved rereading this autobiography about the married lady who D H Lawrence fell in love with she was an amazing character in herself. This book gives us wonderful insight into the type of intense character that Lawrence was. She leaves her husband and children for a lifetime of travel, economic difficulties, adventure and hardship all for the love she had for Lawrence one of the most difficult artistic personalities of the twentieth century.