T. E. Lawrence was not a literary figure. He was a real man, who lived and suffered. Because he became a legend in his own lifetime while at the same time shielding his (rather unexciting) private life from the intrusions of the press, the public at large knew little of the doubting, self-tormenting side of his personality. In terms of this dehumanisation at the hands of the all-consuming media, his figure was a forewarning of our present age. The fact that he was so pestered and pursued by the press made Lawrence's life difficult and twice cost him his much-loved job with the Royal Air Force.
On numerous occasions, the last of which took place shortly before his death in 1935 at the age of forty-six, Lawrence was forced to flee the journalists lying in wait for him – just as Princess Diana was to do years later. Like her, Lawrence too was killed in an accident caused by excessive speed, the difference being that Lawrence was on a motorbike, and was trying, more than anything, to escape himself.
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