Clea

novel by Durrell

Written by

The Information Architects of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last updated

July 20, 2026

Quick Summary

Clea is the fourth novel in Lawrence Durrell's The Alexandria Quartet, a series of four interconnected novels set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1940s. The tetralogy includes Justine, Balthazar, Mountolive, and Clea. While the first three novels explore events from different perspectives before World War II, Clea continues the narrative into the war years. The story is largely told through the eyes of L.G. Darley, who observes the relationships of those around him. In Clea, Darley experiences healing and maturation, ultimately becoming capable of loving Clea Montis, a painter and his destined partner. The quartet explores themes of the relativity of truth and how sexual experience, art, and love contribute to understanding and development.12

Summary created from Britannica articles using AI. AI can make mistakes, so verify using Britannica articles.

2 Britannica Sources

Ask Britannica AI about this topic

Britannica doesn't have a full article on this topic, so we've curated a list of our relevant coverage.

The Alexandria Quartet
(1958), Mountolive (1958), and Clea (1960), is set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1940s. Three of the books are written in the first person, Mountolive in the third. The first three volumes describe, from different viewpoints, a series of events in Alexandria before World War II; the fourth carries…
Read More
(1958), Mountolive (1958), and Clea (1960), is set in Alexandria, Egypt, during the 1940s. Three of the books are written in the first person, Mountolive in the third. The first three volumes describe, from different viewpoints, a series of events in Alexandria before World War II; the fourth carries…
Read More