Lawrence Durrell's typewriters

Lawrence Durrell and His Typewriters

Lawrence Durrell wrote The Alexandria Quartet on an Olivetti Lettera 22. Sleek, portable, precise. The kind of machine you could carry to a seaside villa or a sunlit courtyard in Corfu and just work.

The Lettera 22 matched his prose—economical, fluid, lyrical. Light enough to move with him. Responsive enough to keep up with the cadences he was chasing.

The Machines That Mattered

For his later, denser work, he used an Olympia Splendid. Lightweight but solid. The kind of typewriter that could handle layered, structured prose. Ordered complexity on a mechanical level.

Earlier, for The Black Book, he relied on Smith Corona Three and Four models. Sturdy. Dependable. Perfect for the stream-of-consciousness experiments and avant-garde themes he was exploring. Those machines gave him grounding—physical and creative.

He also kept a Hermes Baby around. Compact. Precise. Taut, jewel-like—the same quality you find in Bitter Lemons.

Writing as Alchemy

Durrell called his typewriters "modern oracles." Tools for channeling the subconscious into something tangible.

"The typewriter is less a tool than a co-conspirator, aiding me in the theft of fleeting inspiration."

He understood what most writers eventually learn: the physical act matters. The rhythm of keys. The immediate feedback of words appearing on paper. The intimacy with language that happens when there's no screen between you and the work.

What It Means

Durrell moved constantly—Alexandria, Corfu, Cyprus—but his typewriters moved with him. They weren't just convenient. They were essential.

The tactile experience shaped the writing itself. You can hear it in the cadences, feel it in the structure.

The Durrell Method

Find the right machine. Take it where the work needs to happen. Let the rhythm guide you.

Writing isn't just mental. It's physical. The clack of keys, the carriage return, the weight of your fingers on metal—all of it matters.

Durrell knew that. His typewriters weren't artifacts. They were partners in the alchemy of turning experience into art.