Justine

About “Justine”

Justine, published in 1957, is the first novel in Lawrence Durrell's Alexandria Quartet. The story is set in Alexandria during the 1930s and 1940s and follows the lives of an Irish schoolmaster, a tormented Jewish woman, a Greek cabaret dancer, and a Coptic financier. Their personal struggles and relationships unfold against the backdrop of a rich, decadent city that serves as a symbolic representation of an erotic and complex world. The novel is part of a four-volume series, each told from a different perspective, that explores themes of passion and deception. The city of Alexandria is portrayed as a character in its own right, with a multifaceted and intricate personality.