Lady Chatterley's Lover

Set in the relentlessly grey-skied, grey-walled world of a Midlands coal mining village just after the First World War, this tells the story of the love that developed between Lady Chatterley and Oliver Mellors, her husband's gamekeeper. The full text was not published in the United Kingdom until 1960, more than 30 years after it had been written, because of its explicit content and use of prohibited words. And yet, one cannot help wondering whether without its excoriating and often still accurate depiction of the British upper classes, the book might have been less harshly received.

Furthermore, Lawrence defied the tide of the times by illustrating the universally dehumanising effects of industrialisation, which was already swiftly turning most aspects of human interaction and emotion into commercial commodities such as the fun, fun, fun to be had simply because one had paid for an outing or holiday.

Lady Chatterley's Lover explores social forces that are deeply entrenched to this day. But above all, it is a warm and meaningful contemplation of love and its sexual expression that reminds us that more than money, status and social approval, shared tenderness is the key to human happiness.

Original artwork by Magda Allani.

Public Domain (P)2018 Magda Allani