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Brideshead Benighted
5 Parts with 17 Chapters. Introduction.
- GenresHistory
221 pages, Hardcover
First published June 19, 1986
About the author
Auberon Waugh
53 books23 followersAuberon Alexander Waugh was a British journalist and novelist, and eldest son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was widely known by his nickname "Bron”.
Waugh's career spanned journalism, fiction, and editing; he authored five novels, including The Foxglove Saga (1960) and Consider the Lilies (1968), and contributed political columns to outlets such as The Spectator from 1967 and The Daily Telegraph. His most enduring satirical work was the "Diary" column in Private Eye, which he wrote from 1970 to 1986, often provoking outrage with its parodies and polemics. From the 1980s until his death, he edited Literary Review, shaping its profile through his editorial leadership and "From the Pulpit" essays.
Waugh's defining characteristics included an acerbic wit and a penchant for vendettas, leading to notable controversies such as a 1970 libel suit against The Spectator that he won and a 1979 parliamentary candidacy for the fringe Dog Lovers' Party. Despite health setbacks, including a spinal injury from National Service in 1958, he maintained a prolific output, earning two What the Papers Say awards for his influence in British journalism. His memoirs, Will This Do? (1991), encapsulated his irreverent worldview
Waugh's career spanned journalism, fiction, and editing; he authored five novels, including The Foxglove Saga (1960) and Consider the Lilies (1968), and contributed political columns to outlets such as The Spectator from 1967 and The Daily Telegraph. His most enduring satirical work was the "Diary" column in Private Eye, which he wrote from 1970 to 1986, often provoking outrage with its parodies and polemics. From the 1980s until his death, he edited Literary Review, shaping its profile through his editorial leadership and "From the Pulpit" essays.
Waugh's defining characteristics included an acerbic wit and a penchant for vendettas, leading to notable controversies such as a 1970 libel suit against The Spectator that he won and a 1979 parliamentary candidacy for the fringe Dog Lovers' Party. Despite health setbacks, including a spinal injury from National Service in 1958, he maintained a prolific output, earning two What the Papers Say awards for his influence in British journalism. His memoirs, Will This Do? (1991), encapsulated his irreverent worldview
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 9, 2023
Nothing is funnier than a collection of Auberon Waugh's best columns, but this isn't it. Did he decide his wit made him a serious thinker? It doesn't work that way, as H.L. Mencken demonstrated a few decades earlier. Some of these Spectator pieces from the '70s and '80s are terrific, and some - especially the ones on the virtues of old-fashioned Catholicism, a subject he obviously cared about - are earnest and dull. On social issues, an essay about bringing back hanging is hilarious, while two or three contrarian efforts on criminal cases involving the deaths of children are cringe-inducing. Read his Private Eye columns instead.
January 25, 2014
I just want to say that the title of this book is "Brideshead Benighted" NOT "Brideshead Beknighted"
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews