1913. Controversial English novelist, short-story writer, poet and essayist, Lawrence is known for his frequently misunderstood, but basically idealistic theories about sexual relations and for his interest in primitive religions and nature mysticism. Lawrence regarded sex, the primitive subconscious, and nature as cures for what he considered modern man's maladjustment to industrial society. His philosophy, life history and prejudices are inextricably entwined in his writings. Sons and Lovers is a partly autobiographical novel which deals with the author's boyhood and adolescence as the son of a coal miner.