Only the City Is Real: Lawrence Durrell's Journey to Alexandria / ﻭﺣﺪﻫﺎ ﺍﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﺔ ﺣﻘﻴﻘﻴﺔ: ﺭﺣﻠﺔ ﻟﻮﺭﺍﻧﺲ ﺩﺍﺭﻳﻞ ﺇﻟﻰ ﺍﻹﺳﻜﻨﺪﺭﻳﺔ

Michael Haag

Program

ALIF

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http://www.jstor.org/stable/30197942

All Authors

Haag, Michael; ﻫﺎﺝ, ﻣﺎﻳﻜﻞ

Document Type

Research Article

Publication Title

Alif: Journal of Comparative Poetics

Publication Date

2006

Abstract

[In both his travel books and his novels, Lawrence Durrell examines the nature of reality, not least in Prospero's Cell- about Corfu but written in Alexandria during the Second World War. Already in 1938, as his notebooks show, Durrell believed that culturally, intellectually, and spiritually we live as though within a womb, comfortable in our assumptions and mistaking our experience for reality. But the womb becomes a tomb for those who do not escape. In The Alexandria Quartet, embarked upon after he completed Prospero's Cell, it is only by escaping from the falseness of the so-called real, from the false city inhabited by false selves, that one can move towards the ultimate reality and, therefore, to the truth. ﺗﻨﺎﻭﻝ ﻟﻮﺭﺍﻧﺲ ﺩﺍﺭﻳﻞ ﻃﺒﻴﻌﺔ ﺍﻟﻮﺍﻗﻊ ﻓﻲ ﻛﻞ ﻣﻦ ﻛﺘﺐ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻼﺕ ﻭﺍﻟﺮﻭﺍﻳﺎﺕ ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﻛﺘﺒﻬﺎ٬ ﻛﻤﺎ ﻳﺘﺠﻠﻰ ﻓﻲ ﻛﺘﺎﺏ ﺯﻧﺰﺍﻧﺔ ﭘﺮﻭﺳﭘﻴﺮ٬ ﻭﺍﻟﺬﻱ ﺗﻨﺎﻭﻝ ﺟﺰﻳﺮﺓ ﻛﻮﺭﻓﻮ٬ ﺑﺎﻟﺮﻏﻢ ﻣﻦ ﻛﻮﻧﻪ ﻛُﺘِﺐَ ﻓﻲ ﺍﻹﺳﻜﻨﺪﺭﻳﺔ ﺃﺛﻨﺎﺀ ﺍﻟﺤﺮﺏ ﺍﻟﻌﺎﻟﻤﻴﺔ ﺍﻟﺜﺎﻧﻴﺔ٠ ﻭﺗﻮﺿﺢ ﻣﺬﻛﺮﺍﺕ ﺩﺭﺍﻳﻞ ( ١٩٣٨) ﺍﻋﺘﻘﺎﺩﻩ ﺑﺄﻧﻨﺎ ﻧﻌﻴﺶ ﻓﻲ ﺭﺣﻢ ﺣﻀﺎﺭﻱ ﻭﺛﻘﺎﻓﻲ ﻭﺭﻭﺣﻲ٬ ﻗﺎﻧﻌﻴﻦ ﺑﻔﺮﺿﻴﺎﺗﻨﺎ٬ ﺣﺎﺳﺒﻴﻦ ﺧﺒﺮﺍﺗﻨﺎ ﻫﻲ ﺍﻟﻮﺍﻗﻊ٠ ﻟﻜﻦ ﺍﻟﺮﺣﻢ ﻳﺼﺒﺢ ﻗﺒﺮﺍﹰ ﻟﻤﻦ ﻻ ﻳﻬﺮﺏ ﻣﻨﻪ٠ ﻭﻓﻲ ﺭﺑﺎﻋﻴﺔ ﺍﻹﺳﻜﻨﺪﺭﻳﺔ - ﺍﻟﺘﻲ ﺷﺮﻉ ﺩﺍﺭﻳﻞ ﻓﻲ ﻛﺘﺎﺑﺘﻬﺎ ﻋﻘﺐ ﺍﻧﺘﻬﺎﺋﻪ ﻣﻦ ﺯﻧﺰﺍﻧﺔ ﭘﺮﻭﺳﭙﻴﺮﻭ - ﻳﺘﻀﺢ ﺃﻧﻪ ﻓﻘﻄ ﻋﻦ ﻃﺮﻳﻖ ﺍﻟﻬﺮﻭﺏ ﻣﻦ ﺯﻳﻒ ﻣﺎ ﻳﺪﻋﻰ ﺑﺎﻟﻮﺍﻗﻊ٬ ﻣﻦ ﺍﻟﻤﺪﻳﻨﺔ ﺍﻟﺰﺍﺋﻔﺔ ﺑﻤﻦ ﻳﻘﻄﻨﻬﺎ ﻣﻦ ﺫﻭﺍﺕ ﺯﺍﺋﻔﺔ٬ ﻳﺴﺘﻄﻴﻊ ﺍﻟﻤﺮﺀ ﺍﻟﺘﺤﺮﻙ ﺑﻮﺟﻬﺔ ﺍﻟﻮﺍﻗﻊ ﺍﻟﻤﻄﻠﻖ٬ ﻭﻣﻦ ﺛﻢ ﺍﻟﺤﻘﻴﻘﺔ٠]

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39

Last Page

47

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