The International Lawrence Durrell Society will be holding its biennial conference in Rethymnon, Crete, next year.
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| Second century BC silver tetradrachm showing the labyrinth at Knossos. |
Lawrence Durrell passed through Crete in April 1941 during his escape from the Peloponnese as the Germans overran Greece. Together with his wife and infant daughter and many others who filled an overcrowded caique, he put out from Pylos, travelling by night to avoid Stuka divebombers by day, and arrived in Crete which soon came under massive enemy aerial attack. From there he and his family were eventually taken to safety in Egypt.
On Durrell's literary map Crete lies between
Prospero's Cell and
The Alexandria Quartet. And while he was in Alexandria he began
The Dark Labyrinth (originally called
Cefalù), set in a modern-day version of the legendary labyrinth at Knossos.
The conference, which will consider Greece and Durrell during the Second World War, takes place on 26-30 June 2016. Further details can be found by going to the
International Lawrence Durrell website.
