Pulitzer Prize Biography Winner
A Prince of Our Disorder: The Life of T. E. Lawrence
by John E. Mack
Summary
John E. Mack, a psychiatrist, examines the British soldier and writer T. E. Lawrence, famous as Lawrence of Arabia for his role in the Arab Revolt against the Ottoman Empire. The book blends military history with a careful psychological study of a man torn by ambition, guilt, and a craving for anonymity after fame. Mack treats Lawrence as a complex figure whose inner conflicts mirrored the disorder of his era.
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Historical Context & Significance
Author John E. Mack was a Harvard psychiatrist, and the book applied clinical insight to the life of the man portrayed in David Lean's 1962 film Lawrence of Arabia.