The five volumes of
The Avignon Quintetappeared over a period of eleven years, from 1974 to 1985. Durrell had lived near Avignon since 1957, and for virtually the first time in his life found himself drawing upon a locale in which he still resided. The novels reflect the affection he had developed for Provence, but they also reflect a dark period in his life. His reputation had been in partial eclipse since the publication of
Tunc(1968) and
Nunquam(1970),
known jointly as
The Revolt of Aphrodite.His third marriage had ended with the death of Claude-Marie Vincendon in 1967, and his fourth (to Ghislaine de Boysson, the dedicatee of the first volume of the
Quintet) would last only two years. His health too was in decline.
Monsieur, or The Prince of Darkness (1974) introduces characters
1145 words
Citation: Koger, Grove. "The Avignon Quintet". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 December 2003 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=14340, accessed 25 November 2024.]
