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Writer, journalist and broadcaster Anthony Sattin uncovers the early years of the charismatic archaeologist and adventurer T E Lawrence (Lawrence of Arabia) that have been skated over by previous biographers. Sattin looks at the period before the outbreak of World War I and tracks the development of the man who would later fight with the Arabs against the Turks.

Lawrence burnt the first manuscript of his Seven Pillars of Wisdom, which described his five years in the Middle East before the war. Sattin uncovers the stories Lawrence wanted to conceal, including the truth of his birth, his tortuous relationship with a dominant mother, his affection for an Arab boy, and the reasons that drove him to become an archaeologist and a spy. Sattin’s biography is the first to focus on Lawrence in his twenties. It is set against the backdrop of the crumbling Ottoman Empire and growing Arab nationalism.

Sattin is author of several acclaimed books on history and travel including The Gates of Africa, Lifting the Veil and A Winter on the Nile. He is editorial advisor on Geographical Magazine, a contributing editor to Condé Nast Traveller and a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society.

Sponsored by HSBC.