Lawrence Durrell was born in Jalandhar, Punjab, British India. He moved to the United Kingdom with his family in 1920. His literary career began with the publication of poetry, but it was with prose that he gained international recognition. His tetralogy "The Alexandria Quartet", composed of "Justine", "Balthazar", "Mountolive", and "Clea", was published between 1957 and 1960. This set of novels, set in Alexandria, Egypt during the 1930s and 1940s, is celebrated for its exploration of the complexities of love, desire, politics, and identity, with overlapping and contradictory narratives. Durrell also served as a diplomat on various missions, including Greece and Argentina, and taught at universities in the United States. He lived much of his adult life on Greek islands, such as Corfu and Crete, where he wrote many of his works. He died in Sommières, in the south of France.