The Escaped Cock

<p><em>I wrote a story of the Resurrection, where Jesus gets up and feels very sick about everything, and can’t stand the old crowd any more… ‘I am risen!’ </em></p><p>First published in 1929, <em>The Escaped Cock</em> – or, as it was published against Lawrence’s will upon his death, <em>The Man Who Died</em> – is the final novel by one of the best-loved English writers of the twentieth century. </p><p>Written shortly after a 1927 expedition to an Etruscan tomb, on the surface this is a sensual and thought-provoking recasting of the Resurrection, in which Jesus survives his crucifixion – but when the surface is scratched there’s so much more going on beneath… </p><p>The intervening years have seen a revived interest in the identity and enigmatic sexuality of the man behind the pen, and this fresh edition, paired with the art of Aubrey Beardsley – a fellow misunderstood artist and enemy of the censor’s office – invites the modern reader to meet Lawrence’s fascinating final novel on its own terms.</p>