Reflections on a Marine Venus is Lawrence Durrell's second travel book, a companion and successor to his “guide” to Corfu, Prospero's Cell (1945). Like the earlier work, it is devoted to a Greek island, in this case Rhodes, and memorializes a key period in its author's life. Having spent World War II in uncongenial Egypt, Durrell arrived on Rhodes in 1945 as Public Information Officer. He had by now published a brash experimental novel (The Black Book, 1938) and two well-received volumes of poetry. And while his celebration of Rhodes lacks the formal perfection of Prospero's Cell, it exhibits his delight in returning to the Hellenic world and a growing confidence in his literary gift.
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Citation: Koger, Grove. "Reflections on a Marine Venus: A Companion to the Landscape of Rhodes". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 23 May 2003 [https://staging.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=10439, accessed 24 November 2024.]
