| The Mint | |
|---|---|
First (expurgated) edition, Jonathan Cape, 1955 |
|
| Author(s) | T. E. Lawrence |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
| Publication date | 1955 |
| Pages | 206 |
The Mint is a book written by T. E. Lawrence, ‘Lawrence of Arabia’, and published posthumously. It is notable for its sharp observation, for the insight it gives into Lawrence himself, and for the censorship issues around its publication.
Contents |
The Mint concerns the period following the First World War when Lawrence decided to disappear from public view. He enlisted in the Royal Air Force under an assumed name, becoming 352087 Aircraftman Ross.[1] The book is a closely observed autobiographical account of his experiences in the RAF. The book covers his initial training at RAF Uxbridge in 1922[2] and a part of his service at RAF Cranwell, 1925–26.
The book is divided into three parts:
Lawrence stated that the book should not be published until after his death; in the prefatory note by his brother, A. W. Lawrence, who edited the text for publication, a letter from T. E. Lawrence to E. M. Forster is summarized "he felt unable to publish the book because of 'the horror the fellows with me in the force would feel at my giving them away... so The Mint shall not be circulated before 1950".[3]:9 Lawrence's brother took the further precaution of substituting "new names" in the expurgated edition for characters in A/c Ross's squad "in all passages which might have caused embarrassment or distress".[3]:9
However, A. W. Lawrence notes that his brother had
When The Mint was finally published in 1955 there were two editions, the expurgated edition and a limited edition containing the full uncensored text. The delay in publication and sensitivity surrounding the full text mainly concerned its barrack-room language (i.e., lots of "four-letter words") and frank references to bodily functions, which some people might still find offensive. However, social mores have changed since the 1950s with the result that the original text is now widely available.
For example, Chapter 19: 'SHIT-CART' was published under the clipped and apparently obscure title ' -CART' (see illustration). However any doubt as to the missing word is soon resolved as the chapter begins:
A few lines later, '352087 A/c Ross' treats his readers to an even rougher word in common R.A.F. usage:
The critic Irving Howe described Lawrence's The Mint in The Hudson Review as a "severely chiselled picture of barrack life: Joycean in style, sometimes brilliant in evocation, structured as a series of set-pieces, showing a decided advance in control over The Seven Pillars of Wisdom but too markedly an exercise, a self-conscious effort to write."[5]