INTRODUCTION BIOGRAPHY WORKS Dramatic Essays & Criticism Fiction The Alexandria Quartet The Antrobus Stories The Avignon Quintet The Revolt of Aphrodite Non-Series Novels Poetry CRITICAL WORKS LINKS ABOUT THE SITE

Justine First Published: Faber & Faber, Ltd., 1957 (First UK Edition) Also Published: New York, E.P. Dutton & Company, 1957 (First US Edition) Introduction | Notes & Glosses | Character Guide | Availability "Of Justine, who could pretend that she did not have her stupid side?..." The first novel of the powerful and sensual Alexandria Quartet, Justine introduces us to many, but not all, of the principal characters that were to feature over the landscape of the Quartet. It also sets the scene, and presents the essential dramatic events of the cycle. The central character, Darley, is an impoverished teacher and burnt-out case who has come to Alexandria from Greece, and involuntarily become swept up in political and cultural intrigues. At the centre of this story is the tale of Darley's love for two women, Melissa, the danseuse, and Justine, a woman of position and means. It is a chronicle of love and intrigue, written in a language rich and powerful beyond reason. .