Burgess considered D. H. Lawrence to be one of the pillars of English literature and indeed a Modernist writer whose work had changed the face of the novel in the early 20th century. Flame into Being was first published in 1985 to mark the centenary of Law- rence's birth and gave Burgess the chance to write a celebratory but also a brilliant (and short) introduction to the major books in Lawrence's oeuvre. It is a beautifully written, entertaining and thoroughly accessible gateway to D. H. Lawrence aimed at both the general reader and students.
