The son of the Governor resident in Dera'a at the time has been quoted as saying the narrative must be false, because Lawrence describes the Bey's hair, while in fact his father was bald. Its climactic passages of abasement and lost honour show that in Lawrence's estimation even the Arabs' victorious entry into Damascus, in September 1917, was spoiled by the impending British betrayal.

Mack sees a possible connection between Lawrence's masochism and th Faisal wanted to lead regular attacks against the Ottomans, but Lawrence persuaded him to drop that tactic.

His writing is characterized by its vivid descriptions of the desert landscape and its inhabitants, as well as its insights into the complexities of Arab culture and politics. They have been drawn to his genius as a leader and the ill-fitting components of that genius – his misgivings as an imperialist, his tortured sexuality, and that compound of arrogance and self-effacement ("backing into the limelight", as someone put it, allegedly Churchill) that has kept his soul satisfyingly open to interpretation.

Initially, Lawrence played only a supporting role in the show, as the main focus was on Allenby's campaigns; but then Thomas realised that it was the photos of Lawrence dressed as a Bedouin which had captured the public's imagination, so he had Lawrence photographed again in London in Arab dress. In 1918, Lowell Thomas went to Jerusalem where he met Lawrence, "whose enigmatic figure in Arab uniform fired his imagination", in the words of author Rex Hall. Anderson] displays a masterly understanding of the politics of the region, and a fine judgement on Lawrence himself. Grove Press An imprint of Grove Atlantic, an American independent publisher, who publish in the UK through Atlantic Books.Anderson is a bleak but fair-minded historian, alive to the cynicism and prejudice that decided actions on all sides. He worked closely with Emir Faisal, a leader of the revolt, and he participated, sometimes as leader, in military actions against the Ottoman armed forces, culminating in the capture of Damascus in October 1918. Having just finished reading it today, I have the feeling this has broadened my horizons beyond Lawrence in Arabia and I am sure I will be reading more about the imperial folly side of things in the near future. Review: February 29, 2008, Setting the Desert on Fire, “James Barr’s ‘Desert’ probes Lawrence of Arabia’s claims,” John Hartl, Seattle Times. Long before the war was won, Britain was negotiating the distribution of the Arab territories the Ottomans would lose if they were beaten.

As Lawrence left for military service in India at the end of 1926, he set up the "Seven Pillars Trust" with his friend D.

He corresponded with many notable figures, including George Bernard Shaw, Edward Elgar, Winston Churchill, Robert Graves, Noël Coward, E. Three single volume accounts have been published within the last two years by Kitchen, Eugene Rogan and Ryan Gingeras. Over the next four years of commemoration, as our opinions of the first world war alter subtly under the influence of new facts, one reputation seems unassailable. Operating in the Middle East at the same time, but to wildly different ends, were three other important players: a German attaché, an American oilman and a committed Zionist.