DH Lawrence

D. H. Lawrence (1885–1930) was an English writer and poet. In his writing he grappled mainly with the dehumanising effects of modernity and industrialisation. Lawrence’s works explore issues such as sexuality, emotional health, vitality, spontaneity, and instinct. His well-known books include Sons and Lovers, The Rainbow, Women in Love, and Lady Chatterley’s Lover.

Lawrence’s opinions earned him many enemies and he had to suffer official persecution, censorship, and misrepresentation of his creative work throughout the second half of his life, much of which he spent in voluntary exile. At the time of his death, his public reputation was that of a pornographer who had squandered his gifts. E.M. Forster, in an obituary notice, challenged this view, describing him as “the greatest imaginative novelist of our generation.” The respected literary critic F. R. Leavis also praised his artistic integrity and moral seriousness.