When writer Lawrence Durrell first published Justine of The Alexandria
Quartet in 1957, it made a big impact. It was because of the novel’s untraditional style
of writing. As an example, the first three books do not follow a timeline. Only with the
last book does the timeline become more solid. But also, the third book, Mountolive,
has a different telling than the other three.
In the novels, a modern love story is told, but that love story is an unusual one. The city
of Alexandria serves as the backdrop for this modern love story. The city reflects the
characters’ mental status most of the time. Alexandria and her characters are linked
together; one cannot exist without the other. Cities around the world are anything but
stable; they have to change somehow. So, the idealized Alexandria in the novels
changed over time. In that way, there were lots of clues about architecture. It was
always considered together with the users and their acts, and also with the region and
urban planning. In this study, the books were reviewed from a different perspective.
The architectural side of the books was shown with examples. The Eastern
Mediterranean style and the Levantine cities were explained with the help of the city of
Alexandria. Also, Alexandria’s past, present, and future were displayed.
Keywords: Architectural culture, Architectural mentality, Architecture of
Alexandria, Architectural reading, Balthazar, City of Alexandria, Clea,
Connection between architecture and the city, Contrasts of the city, Ideal city,
Justine, Lawrence Durrell, Levantine, Mediterranean architecture, Modern love,
Mountolive, Non-stationary city, Romanticism, The Alexandria Quartet, The
eastern Mediterranean.
