1915: D. H. Lawrence - The Rainbow

His fourth novel, The Rainbow is a family saga, following three generations of the Brangwen family, a dynasty of farmers and craftsmen who live in the east Midlands of England, on the borders of Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, spanning a period of about 65 years from the 1840s to 1905, and showing how the love relationships of the Brangwens change against the backdrop of the increasing industrialisation of Britain.

Like some of Lawrence's other novels, The Rainbow was banned for its frank treatment of sexual desire and the power it plays within relationships. The Rainbow was prosecuted in an obscenity trial in late 1915, as a result of which all copies were seized and burnt. After this ban it was unavailable in Britain for 11 years.

The Rainbow was followed by a sequel in 1920, Women in Love. Although Lawrence conceived of the two novels as one, considering the titles The Sisters and The Wedding Ring for the work, they were published as two separate novels at the urging of his publisher.

Thanks for starting this thread Edwin. The Rainbow is one of my all time favourite novels and I will be sure to re-read it next year.

I made a failed attempt at reading The Rainbow as a teenager, abandoning the book after 100+ pages, or so. I never tried any D.H. Lawrence after that, until last year, when I read Sons and Lovers as the 1913 - 2013 Centennial read. I enjoyed that a lot. Last year, I also read "The Prussian Officer", but I only read the title story in an anthology and I did not read The Prussian Officer and other stories. I will try to get a hold of the other stories.