David Herbert Lawrence was born 11 September 1885 in Eastwood, Nottinghamshire. His father, Arthur Lawrence, was a miner, his mother, Lydia Beardsall Lawrence, a former schoolmistress. After matriculating at Nottingham University College, he qualified himself as a teacher. During his employment at a school in Croyden, he met Ford Madox Hueffer, who recognized his unique gifts and introduced him to the London literary scene. By 1912 Lawrence had published two novels, The White Peacock and The Trespasser. His mother's death in 1910, a traumatic but liberating event, provided an important impetus for Sons and Lovers (1913), his first major work of fiction.

In March 1912 Lawrence met Frieda von Richthofen Weekley, wife of a Nottingham professor of languages. Two months later she left husband and children to join Lawrence on the continent. They were married on 13 July 1914. Their often stormy relationship endured to his death, and was central to his life and work. The...