Prospero's Cell is the first of Lawrence Durrell's travel books, written in Egypt during World War II and published at war's end. Along with his experimental novel The Black Book (1938) and his first two important collections of poetry – A Private Country (1943) and Cities, Plains and People (1946) – it established his reputation among discerning readers and critics, but it was only with the publication of the novels of The Alexandria Quartet that the book became widely popular, attracting tens of thousands of visitors to the Greek island it celebrates.

Corcyra (or Corfu, as it is known to most English-speakers today) is the northernmost of the Ionian Islands, lying within easy sight of the main

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Published 08 November 2002

Citation: Koger, Grove. "Prospero's Cell". The Literary Encyclopedia. 8 November 2002.
[http://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=2537, accessed 21 November 2009.]