The handsome David Herbert Lawrence - best known as D.H. Lawrence- travelled a lot, like his contemporary Gaston Leroux, or his compatriot Somerset Maugham.

Amongst countries he visited were : France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Lady Chatterley's LoverCeylon, Australia, California, and New Mexico, where he lived at Taos on his ranch.

The fourth child of a struggling coal miner and heavy drinker had a tough childhood.

Having won a scholarship, he studied at Nottingham High School, then at Nottingham University.

Jessie Chambers, his childhood sweetheart, presented some of Lawrence's poem to Ford Madox Ford in 1909, who published them in the English Review.

Then, THE WHITE PEACOCK launched Lawrence as a writer.

In 1912 he met Lady Frieda von Richthofen, married then to professor Ernest Weekly and they became lovers, escaping to Austria, Germany and Italy

Sons and Lovers was published in 1913. It is partly autobiographic (Lawrence's childhood and Jessie Chambers).

One year later, Lawrence married Frieda and in 1915, his Rainbow was banned for "obscenity", while his paintings were confiscated.

Lady Ottoline Morrell, the wife of a Liberal Member of Parliament, was a strong support to Lawrence. Thanks to her, he met Aldous Huxley, E.M. Forster, and Bertrand Russell.