more photos (1)

Evelyn Waugh’s Followers (2,941)

Evelyn Waugh

Born

in Combe Florey, Somerset, England, The United Kingdom

October 28, 1903

Died

April 10, 1966

Genre

Fiction, Biography, Memoir

edit data

Evelyn Waugh's father Arthur was a noted editor and publisher. His only sibling Alec also became a writer of note. In fact, his book “The Loom of Youth” (1917) a novel about his old boarding school Sherborne caused Evelyn to be expelled from there and placed at Lancing College. He said of his time there, “…the whole of English education when I was brought up was to produce prose writers; it was all we were taught, really.” He went on to Hertford College, Oxford, where he read History. When asked if he took up any sports there he quipped, “I drank for Hertford.”

In 1924 Waugh left Oxford without taking his degree. After inglorious stints as a school teacher (he was dismissed for trying to seduce a school matron and/or inebriation), an appren Evelyn Waugh's father Arthur was a noted editor and publisher. His only sibling Alec also became a writer of note. In fact, his book “The Loom of Youth” (1917) a novel about his old boarding school Sherborne caused Evelyn to be expelled from there and placed at Lancing College. He said of his time there, “…the whole of English education when I was brought up was to produce prose writers; it was all we were taught, really.” He went on to Hertford College, Oxford, where he read History. When asked if he took up any sports there he quipped, “I drank for Hertford.”

In 1924 Waugh left Oxford without taking his degree. After inglorious stints as a school teacher (he was dismissed for trying to seduce a school matron and/or inebriation), an apprentice cabinet maker and journalist, he wrote and had published his first novel, “Decline and Fall” in 1928.

In 1928 he married Evelyn Gardiner. She proved unfaithful, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1930. Waugh would derive parts of “A Handful of Dust” from this unhappy time. His second marriage to Audrey Herbert lasted the rest of his life and begat seven children. It was during this time that he converted to Catholicism.

During the thirties Waugh produced one gem after another. From this decade come: “Vile Bodies” (1930), “Black Mischief” (1932), the incomparable “A Handful of Dust” (1934) and “Scoop” (1938). After the Second World War he published what is for many his masterpiece, “Brideshead Revisited,” in which his Catholicism took centre stage. “The Loved One” a scathing satire of the American death industry followed in 1947. After publishing his “Sword of Honour Trilogy” about his experiences in World War II - “Men at Arms” (1952), “Officers and Gentlemen” (1955), “Unconditional Surrender" (1961) - his career was seen to be on the wane. In fact, “Basil Seal Rides Again” (1963) - his last published novel - received little critical or commercial attention.

Evelyn Waugh, considered by many to be the greatest satirical novelist of his day, died on 10 April 1966 at the age of 62.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_W... ...more

Combine Editions
Evelyn Waugh’s books

Average rating: 3.91 · 256,132 ratings · 19,221 reviews · 339 distinct works • Similar authors

	Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred and Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 125,874 ratings — published 1945 — 473 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	A Handful of Dust 3.89 avg rating — 28,772 ratings — published 1934 — 228 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Scoop 3.79 avg rating — 22,382 ratings — published 1938 — 233 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Vile Bodies 3.72 avg rating — 17,564 ratings — published 1930 — 166 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Decline and Fall 3.83 avg rating — 15,824 ratings — published 1928 — 294 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Loved One 3.75 avg rating — 13,595 ratings — published 1948 — 293 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Men at Arms (Sword of Honour, #1) 3.90 avg rating — 3,663 ratings — published 1952 — 56 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Black Mischief 3.69 avg rating — 3,631 ratings — published 1932 — 42 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Put Out More Flags 3.80 avg rating — 2,573 ratings — published 1942 — 101 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Officers and Gentlemen (Sword of Honour, #2) 3.94 avg rating — 2,368 ratings — published 1955 — 116 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

More books by Evelyn Waugh…

Series by Evelyn Waugh

Sword of Honour (3 books)
by

Evelyn Waugh

4.00 avg rating — 9,637 ratings

In most historical romances, love and marriage go together like...well, a horse and carriage. But what if the girl part of the girl-meets-boy...

Polls

2013 Empire Challenge: Fiction - Africa, Australia & Other Places (incl. Britain & Ireland)

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro

13 votes, 38.2%

Black Mischief by Evelyn Waugh

5 votes, 14.7%

Voyage in the Dark by Jean Rhys

5 votes, 14.7%

The Heart of the Matter by Graham Greene

3 votes, 8.8%

Journey without Maps by Graham Greene

2 votes, 5.9%

My Brilliant Career by Miles Franklin

2 votes, 5.9%

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes

2 votes, 5.9%

Sanders of the River by Edgar Wallace

1 vote, 2.9%

Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan Lindsay

1 vote, 2.9%

34 total votes

comments and details

More...

Topics Mentioning This Author

topics	posts	views	last activity
The Next Best Boo...: OFFICIAL WINTER CHALLENGE - 2008/2009	2155	4187	Mar 04, 2009 07:03AM
The Life of a Boo...: Heidi's TBR list 2010	5	150	Dec 28, 2009 08:41PM
Challenge: 50 Books: Dini's List for 2009 - 50 and ongoing	87	418	Jan 02, 2010 07:37AM
Bright Young Things: Vile Bodies by Evelyn Waugh - January 2010 (Spoilers likely)	64	171	Feb 11, 2010 01:09PM
The Life of a Boo...: Favorite Reads of 2009	48	285	Mar 03, 2010 06:20AM
Book lovers : A-Z Challenge	48	272	Apr 14, 2010 09:59AM
Bright Young Things: Scoop by Evelyn Waugh (July 2010)	20	56	Jul 26, 2010 01:20PM

More…

Evelyn Waugh’s Followers (2,941)

Evelyn Waugh

Combine EditionsEvelyn Waugh’s books

Series by Evelyn Waugh

Related News

Polls

Topics Mentioning This Author

Combine Editions
Evelyn Waugh’s books