Malcolm Lowry's classic novel "Under the Volcano" established him as a writer of genius and one of the most original voices of the 20th century. This biography of Lowry looks at how his writing reflected aspects of his own life. An incurable alcoholic from the age of 16, drink and writing were the only two constants in Lowry's life that was as extraordinary as his fiction. He seemed to lurch from one drama to another, including two turbulent marriages, his years as a bohemian writer in London, Paris and Mexico, his struggles with alcohol and his violent and largely unexplained death.