Lawrence of Arabia: a man in flight from himself
As Howard Brenton's play about TE Lawrence opens in London, William Boyd discovers that the truth about this complicated man is more elusive and interesting than the Hollywood mythDavid Lean has a lot to answer for. His 1962 film, Lawrence of Arabia, created a myth about TE Lawrence that, more than 50 years on, remains the dominant impression of the man in the public mind. This was largely brought about by …