The novel the Alexandria Quartet is set in Alexandria, Egypt during World War II. It is therefore a reflection of the society then as seen by the author, Durrell. The novel is a work that shows friendship, love, social classes, issues of morality and religion. It illustrates a society whereby its characters are caught in the net that is Alexandria’s way of life. One of the characters Nessim, reveals that those who came to Alexandria, which he describes as the wine press of love emerge from it as sick men damaged in their sex. In another instance, the narrator explains that the city made its children, pay for her sins. He says,” I see at last that none of us is properly to be judged for what happened in the past. It is the city which should be judged though we, its children, must pay the price.” In this statement, the narrator suggests that the city’s way of life is what dictated the actions of every person living in it.
Alexandria is also seen as a hybrid city where many people from Israel, the rest of Africa and Europe. It was therefore a hybrid city with a mixture of people from different races. The narrator is from England whereas his flatmate Pombal is from France. Pombal works at the French Embassy in Alexandria.
The novel also highlights the social classes that existed in Alexandria at the time. They consisted of the rich who mostly received their money from inheritance and the poor who included the narrator Darley. The rich like Capodistria do not work but rather spend their time spending their vast wealth and lending out money whereas the poor often work. Melissa is a dancer at one of the clubs in the city and the narrator is a writer. They both work to ensure that the ends meet.
