Balthazar Lawrence Durrell

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"Balthazar" is the second volume in Lawrence Durrell's four-part novel "The Alexandria Quartet," which is set in pre-World War II Alexandria, Egypt. The author once again presents readers with the cosmopolitan and vibrant atmosphere of the early 20th century Eastern Mediterranean. This time, we are given a tragic story from a different perspective involving the protagonist, his lovers, friends, and acquaintances. A character named Balthazar, a homosexual doctor and kabbalist who also appears in the first book, adds his commentary to the manuscript of "Justine" by the protagonist. The protagonist faces a dilemma: should he publish "Justine" in its original form or incorporate the information revealed by Balthazar's comments? He was completely blind to the fact that his lover Justine was also involved with Pursewarden, a writer who committed suicide in the first volume. Which one of them was a decoy for the woman's husband, Nessim? Was it him or Pursewarden? For whom were the woman's feelings more genuine?