The Golden Warrior: The Life and Legend of Lawrence of Arabia

During the 1920s—in the aftermath of the Arab revolt against Britain—T. E. Lawrence gained global attention, both for his involvement in the Middle Eastern anti-imperialist movement, and for his vivid and sensational writings about his experiences. Following World War I, his appointment as an advisor to Winston Churchill—nearly simultaneous with the release of an American documentary about the revolt—further charged the T. E. Lawrence mania.

Despite the emergence of a whole new set of problems in the Middle East, and fueled by the classic status of the epic movie Lawrence of Arabia, the T. E. Lawrence mystique continues to fascinate. Controversial and provocative, this revised and updated edition of Lawrence James’s acclaimed biography penetrates and overturns the mythology that surrounds T. E. Lawrence.

With access to previously unavailable documents, James traces the sometimes spurious Lawrence legend back to its truthful roots, peeling back the layers of Lawrence’s calculated public persona to reveal the gifted, tortured man behind the shimmering myth. Yet James remains dispassionate and generous in spirit throughout. The Golden Warrior presents readers with a fascinating study of one of the twentieth century’s most remarkable figures.