Like so many readers, British author Geoffrey Trease (1905-1998) became very interested in the life of D.H. Lawrence after reading one of his novels. Both men had grown up in Nottingham, had attended the same schools, and were educated by many of the same teachers. Trease would complete his education at Oxford, and like Lawrence became a notable prolific writer. In “D. H. Lawrence The Phoenix and the Flame” Trease thoroughly researched his subject using memoirs, articles and interviews in this condensed impressive biographical narration of one of the most famous novelist/essayist/poets of the 20th century.

David Herbert Lawrence-DHL (1885-1930) was raised in a family of 5 children, his father labored in the mines. As an ordinary simple man, he believed in the virtue of hard physical labor and left all domestic duties to his wife Lydia. A former prim and proper schoolteacher, Lydia considered herself better than her husband/neighbors. Judgmental, she strongly disapproved of anything considered ill-mannered or socially/culturally unacceptable. Resentful and unhappy, she tutored her children in their studies, wishing a better life for them away from the pit of the mines. In turn, her children wanted to please her and meet her high standards/expectations.

DHL attended the prestigious Nottingham H.S. and qualified later for a Kings Scholarship at University College. In 1901 he worked at Haggs Farm, was treated like a son by Mr. Chambers and developed a close relationship with his daughter Jessie. Jessie would submit DHL writing (1908) to the English Review. Editor Ford Madox Hueffer took credit for discovering him, and held a luncheon in his honor at the home of Violet Hunt, where the American poet Ezra Pound was a guest. Taking DHL around to many literary events, he was introduced to W.B. Yeats, H.G. Wells, and Aldous Huxley, (who became a close friend). DHL first novel, The White Peacock (1910) found a publisher, reviews trickled in, and many readers assumed the book had been written by a woman.

The complexities of the relationships DHL had with the women in his life-- the admiration, passion, and inspiration he drew from them wasn’t captured or conveyed well. Throughout his life, DHL juggled multiple relationships with several women in his life that varied in degrees of emotional connection and intimacy. Jessie Chambers would face heartbreak when DHL confessed he didn’t have the romantic love for her as she had for him. He grieved death of his mother (1910) likely from cancer. Before her death, she gave her blessing for his engagement to Louie Burrows. Eventually he remembered his parents’ unhappy marriage, and the burden of supporting a wife and family. Despite the advance of his novel, he broke another heart calling off the engagement.
Aside from the fact that Frieda (the daughter German aristocrat Baron von Richthofen) and DHL were right for each other, her decision to elope with DHL rocked their world! Frieda was bored to tears with her life as a wife of a British academic, she loved her three children dearly, yet it wasn’t enough to sustain her vitality and free spirited nature. DHL admired the fact that she was 6 years older with maternal characteristics for the love, care, and nurturing he needed to write professionally. Frieda wasn’t jealous or possessive, and was open minded enough to deal with his adoring female fans/followers. Although they had furious fights/arguments, refusing to dominate one another, they would be fully supportive of creative/artistic expression. They married on July 13, 1914.

The inability to settle down need and change residences and live in various locations that included Germany, Austria, Italy and a move to the U.S. -- with travel and visits as far as Sri Lanka and Australia. This was an interesting part of DHL character that went beyond wanderlust. Curiously, he invited some friends (including his biographer Glasgow novelist Catherine Carswell) to join him in moving to the Tao Artistic Colony founded by American Mabel Dodge Luhan (1879-1962). After living in New Mexico for three years, DHL ill with tuberculosis, decided he didn’t feel American. Frieda did whatever she could to keep him well and happy, he passed away in Vence, France. A recommended reading list and resources were included. ~ With much appreciation and thanks to Endeavour Press Ltd. /NetGalley for the DRC for the purpose of review.