The Escaped Cock is a short novel by D. H. Lawrence that he originally wrote in two parts and published in 1929. Lawrence wrote the first part in 1927 after visiting some Etruscan tombs with his friend Earl Brewster, a trip that encouraged the author to reflect upon death and myths of resurrection. "The original short story version of Part I of the novel appeared in The Forum magazine, February 1928." Lawrence added the second part in 1928 during a stay in Gstaad, Switzerland. Publication The Black Sun Press first published The Escaped Cock as a limited edition in September 1929. Fifty copies were printed on Japanese vellum, signed by Lawrence and the copy number written in longhand by him, with decorations in color by the author. Critic Harry Moore considered the work to be the last of Lawrence's important prose fiction. Origins The Escaped Cock was always Lawrence's preferred title, but the tale has been printed under the title The Man Who Died by some later publishers. In February 1930, the dying Lawrence was negotiating about an unlimited edition with the London publisher, Charles Lahr. Lahr asked for the title to be changed to The Man Who Died and Lawrence eventually agreed, insisting that the original title should be retained as a subtitle. This projected Lahr edition failed to appear and the first English edition was eventually published by Martin Secker in September 1931 as The Man Who Died, a title never approved by the author. The work was illustrated with wood-engravings by John Farleigh. Brenda Maddox suggests that Martin Secker rejected the original title because of the double entendre. However, she writes, ″Lawrence emphatically denied the vernacular meaning of a plain English word. He refused to acknowledge that ′cock′ connoted anything but a rooster, just as he denied the blasphemous pun contained in the story's climactic line, uttered as the man observes the miracle between his legs: ′I am risen!′″ Plot summary The story is a recasting of the resurrection of Christ narrated in the New Testament. The man who survives his crucifixion comes to celebrate his bodily existence and sensuality. Lawrence himself summarized The Escaped Cock in a letter to Brewster (May 3, 1927): Manuscript Lawrence's handwritten manuscript for The Escaped Cock is part of the rare book collection at the Grinnell College Libraries Special Collections and Archives. The book was formerly part of the Salisbury House