The Man Who Died

In his last novel, published less than a year before his untimely death at the age of forty-five, D.H. Lawrence takes up the theme of Christ's resurrection and his final days on Earth. Lawrence recounts Christ's agonizing journey from death back to life with an alarmingly profane realism, depicting the tale from the moment of his initial painful awakening to his eventual redemptive sexual relationship with the priestess of the pagan goddess Isis. The story expands beyond its Christian roots to explore and embrace Lawrence's abiding faith in the life-force apparent in every aspect of the natural world. For his final work, Lawrence has encapsulated a lifetime of extraordinary vision into one profound and exquisite parable.There was a peasant near Jerusalem who acquired a young gamecock which looked a shabby little thing, but which put on brave feathers as spring advanced, and was resplendent with arched and orange neck by the time the fig trees were letting out leaves from their end-tips.