Bright Young Things discussion

Evelyn Waugh has a very interesting persona - what do you know of him? how do you feel about him? how does his life affect his writing?

Tell us what you think...

I don't know much about Waugh as a person, other than everyone tends to think he was a woman with the name Evelyn. There's a crack about that in the movie Lost in Translation which I loved! I remember laughing at that part in the theater, and no one around me even chuckled. Which made me realize they probably didn't get it.

Most of Waugh's writing was autobiographical in the sense that he wrote about people and situations close to his own experience and then changed locations and names. He would travel to foreign countries and then come home and write a fiction that took place there. As I read "Mad World" and the author told stories from Waugh's life I would - as was her intent - immediately recognize a corresponding fictional episode in one of his novels; which proved great fun for me.

I have one of his on my tbr; a handful of dust I think it's called? I'll let you know...

He was more middle class than his circle of friends (...I think his father was in publishing???), but he mixed with the upper classes at university in Oxford and carried these friendships through his life - He seemed to amuse his friends with his sometimes vicious satires based on their behaviour and goings-on. - Many of his characters, like Ivan says, were thinly veiled portraits of his friends and rivals.

I wonder how he managed to get away with being so rude??? - he must have been quite funny and charming when he wanted to be!

Ally

I think he would have been fun to be around just from reading VILE BODIES so far
very funny guy if his characters reflect hsi sense of humor and view of how fickle human beings can be in a crazy, not too serious way

Ally wrote: "He was more middle class than his circle of friends (...I think his father was in publishing???), but he mixed with the upper classes at university in Oxford and carried these friendships through h..."

Being rude was all part of his charm. Yes, his father was in publishing.

Would anyone know of a biography of Waugh?

I just read one: Mad World - Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead by Paula Byrne - out in UK coming in March to USA. Great book.

Thanks! Looks perfect!

Martin Stannard of the University of Leicester wrote a multivolume biography of Waugh:

Evelyn Waugh The Early Years 1903-1939

Evelyn Waugh The Later Years 1939-1966

You can find several reviews, especially of the first volume, on the Web. I haven't read Stannard's Waugh biographies, but I'm currently enjoying his biography of Muriel Spark, which came out in July.

Thanks for the tip about Mad World. Brideshead is one of my favorite books ever.

Thanks for the tip, they both look interesting :). The more I read into the this period the more fascinating it is.

Ivan, how did you get hold of a copy of Mad World? Did you order it from the UK? I read your review of it and now I'm dying to read it. Love the way you write, by the way.

At risk of sounding dumb, I have to post another question: Does anyone know if the first E in Evelyn is long or short? My good friend Zoe (the barracuda) is British and she insists that we Americans mispronounce things. She will pounce on me if pronounce it wrong. I've been avoiding this scenario by simply referring to Waugh by his last name.

Looooooong. Eve Lynn.

Kathleen wrote: "Ivan, how did you get hold of a copy of Mad World? Did you order it from the UK? I read your review of it and now I'm dying to read it. Love the way you write, by the way. "

Yes, I ordered it from Amazon.UK (paid extra, but I thought I deserved a treat). Thanks for the compliment.

Thanks.

I'm reading a book at the moment called The Pursuit of Laughter - it's a collection of letters, reviews and other writings of Diana Mosely (...one of the Mitford sisters). - There's one about Evelyn Waugh entitled 'A Monster Greatly Missed', which is from a review of Selina Hastings' Biography of Waugh (has anyone read it by the way???).

It's opening line is:

"'He was one of the great prose stylists of the twentieth century' but 'as a man he was a monster'."

- which is what Hastings sees as Waugh's lasting reputation.

Here's an extract from Mosely's review:

"She sees him as a great artist and admirable craftsman, but with a character so flawed by rage and cruelty and so overlaid with deep and selfish boredom that nobody in their senses would want to spend much time with him, however admirably they read his books. Her biography is beautifully written and fascinatingly told, but something is missing.

If Selina Hastings could have spent one single day with Evelyn Waugh. how enormously she would have appreciated the irresistible charm of the man, the cleverness, the sharply expressed and individual point of view, the wonderful jokes, the laughter!"

To have known such a contradictory character must have been fascinating. But it makes me wonder...how cruel could the man possibly be? and how much laughter might it take to forgive the cruelty?

Ally

This very question is addressed quite thoroughly in Paula Byrne's book. His friends adored him - warts and all.

I can't wait to read Mad World, based on Ivan's recommendation. I'm going to pre-order it from BN.com. (I'm in the US.) The last I checked, they were offering a nice discount. Won't be out here until March, however.

I know! - I've just ordered it from Amazon Kathleen couldn't resist Ivan's glowing recommendations! - I've had to order the hardback as the paperback isn't released here in England yet. It was £14.86 on Amazon UK, which is a nice reduction on the £25.00 RRP - only trouble is I'm dying for it to arrive now!

The other trouble is that once you start reading biographies from this period it throws up a whole host of other interesting people and you end up wanting to read biographies of all of them! Waugh's 'crowd' were an interesting bunch by all accounts...

Ally

Do any of you have trouble spelling and typing at the same time - I re-read comments I've posted and cringe.

Ivan wrote: "Do any of you have trouble spelling and typing at the same time - I re-read comments I've posted and cringe."

LOL - Absolutely Ivan! - should we instigate a spelling amnesty on here do you think? or maybe petition the Goodreads ruling chiefs for a spell checker?!!!

Ally

I can't write a sentence without having to edit the comment at least once.

Okay, been going through the films of Whit Stillman lately. I’m sure a lot of you know about this guy already. But if you like Waugh’s gin-soaked sarcasm (and simultaneous adoration) toward the young and wealthy, well—I really think this Stillman guy is a striking contemporary American equivalent. Most people know him for Metropolitan, but the other two are great as well. These rich kids taking themselves so seriously...

I've just returned home after a trip to Lancing College (Evelyn Waugh's old school), for a talk about his time there, which was quite interesting. Anyway one thing I discovered is that...



Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh

...is being dramatised in seven parts on BBC Radio 4 starting this Sunday at 3 pm.

Dramatised by Jeremy Front

Evelyn Waugh's satirical WW2 masterpiece: Guy Crouchback is a man scarred by a broken marriage, searching for a purpose in a modern world, when war breaks out he feels he may have at last found a cause worth fighting for.

Directed by Sally Avens

Evelyn Waugh's trilogy of WWII novels mark a high point in his literary career. Originally published as three volumes: Officers and Gentlemen, Men at Arms and Unconditional Surrender they were extensively revised by Waugh, and published as the one-volume Sword of Honour in 1965, in the form in which Waugh himself wished them to be read. They are dramatised for the Classic Serial in seven episodes.

This is a story that continues to delight as we follow the comic and often bathetic adventures of Guy Crouchback. Witty and tragic, engaging and insightful, this work must be counted next to 'Brideshead Revisited' as Waugh's most enduring novel. Like Brideshead, Waugh drew heavily upon his own experiences during WWII. Sword of Honour effortlessly treads the line between the personal and the political - it is at once an indictment of the incompetence of the Allied war effort, and a moving study of one man's journey from isolation to self fulfilment. His adventures are peopled by colourful characters: the eccentric, Apthorpe, one-eyed, Ritchie-Hook, promiscuous, Virginia Troy. At the centre of the novel is Guy for whom we never lose our sympathy as he emerges from his adventures bowed but not broken. From Dakar to Egypt, the Isle of Mugg to the evacuation of Crete, tragedy is leavened by Waugh's acerbic and farcical comedy.

Nigeyb wrote: "Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh

...is being dramatised in seven parts on BBC Radio 4 starting this Sunday at 3 pm.

Dramatised by Jeremy Front

Evelyn Waugh's satirical WW2 masterpiece: Guy Crouchback is a man scarred by a broken marriage, searching for a purpose in a modern world, when war breaks out he feels he may have at last found a cause worth fighting for.

Directed by Sally Avens

Evelyn Waugh's trilogy of WWII novels mark a high point in his literary career. Originally published as three volumes: Officers and Gentlemen, Men at Arms and Unconditional Surrender they were extensively revised by Waugh, and published as the one-volume Sword of Honour in 1965, in the form in which Waugh himself wished them to be read. They are dramatised for the Classic Serial in seven episodes.

This is a story that continues to delight as we follow the comic and often bathetic adventures of Guy Crouchback. Witty and tragic, engaging and insightful, this work must be counted next to 'Brideshead Revisited' as Waugh's most enduring novel. Like Brideshead, Waugh drew heavily upon his own experiences during WWII. Sword of Honour effortlessly treads the line between the personal and the political - it is at once an indictment of the incompetence of the Allied war effort, and a moving study of one man's journey from isolation to self fulfilment. His adventures are peopled by colourful characters: the eccentric, Apthorpe, one-eyed, Ritchie-Hook, promiscuous, Virginia Troy. At the centre of the novel is Guy for whom we never lose our sympathy as he emerges from his adventures bowed but not broken. From Dakar to Egypt, the Isle of Mugg to the evacuation of Crete, tragedy is leavened by Waugh's acerbic and farcical comedy."

Anyone listened yet?

I will get to it in the next few days and report back.

Part one is on iPlayer for the next four days. Click here to listen now.

Nigeyb wrote: "Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh - dramatised in seven parts on BBC Radio 4. Part one is on iPlayer for the next four days. Click here to listen now.

I will get to it in the next few days and report back. "

I really enjoyed it. Well acted. Credible dialogue. Interesting use of sound and appropriately Waugh-ian. His descriptions, as dramatised here, capture those early months of the war with great clarity. Recommended.

By the by, I came across this website: A Companion to Evelyn Waugh’s Sword of Honour, and it looks pretty good.

Did anyone see the Channel 4 TV adaptation of Sword Of Honour with Daniel Craig made back in 2001?



I'd be interested in any feedback.

Quite cheap on Amazon.

Nigeyb wrote: "I've just returned home after a trip to Lancing College (Evelyn Waugh's old school), for a talk about his time there, which was quite interesting. "

A few photos...



Bust of Evelyn Waugh @ Shoreham WordFest Evelyn Waugh evening at Lancing College on 27th September 2013



Example of literature produced by Evelyn Waugh @ Shoreham WordFest Evelyn Waugh evening at Lancing College on 27th September 2013



Evelyn Waugh display @ Shoreham WordFest Evelyn Waugh evening at Lancing College on 27th September 2013

Nigeyb wrote: "Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh - dramatised in seven parts on BBC Radio 4. Part one is on iPlayer for the next four days. Click here to listen now."

The second part continued the high standard of part one. I recommend it very highly - particularly if you like Evelyn Waugh.

It's a curious mix of comedy and tragedy so far. I've just completed episode two of the radio dramatisation: death, a failed seduction, and a botched military operation, are set against a back drop of more comedic moments and dialogue. I really like it but am quite amazed that late period Evelyn Waugh is both so serious and so funny.

Anyone know how this corresponds to the way the book is actually written?

Nigeyb wrote: "Nigeyb wrote: "Sword of Honour by Evelyn Waugh - dramatised in seven parts on BBC Radio 4. Part one is on iPlayer for the next four days. Click here to listen now."

The second part continued the ..."

Have just listened to the second episode. Can it get any better? I can't find the superlatives. Incredible, brilliant. The character's voices are spot on. Can't wait to read the book now.

Greg wrote: "Can't wait to read the book now. "

Me neither. Sword of Honour is in my library. I had it out over the Summer but didn't get to read it then.

Was Evelyn Waugh the brightest of all the BYT era writers? I think perhaps he was.

Nigeyb wrote: "Greg wrote: "Can't wait to read the book now. "

Me neither. Sword of Honour is in my library. I had it out over the Summer but didn't get to read it then.

Was Evelyn Waugh the brightest of al..."

Even if I get it from the Library, I will buy a copy, or several. Don't have to think about gift ideas for a while, methinks.

Listening to the character's voices in the BBC Radio 4 adaptation, I can see it as a Graphic Novel.

I have only read the first in the trilogy Men at Arms, the library does not have the other two. I really should buy a copy.

Val wrote: "I have only read the first in the trilogy Men at Arms, the library does not have the other two. I really should buy a copy."

I think you probably should Val. If the BBC radio dramatisation is indicative of the book's quality then it's another classic from Mr W.

One review I've read starts, Witty and tragic, engaging and insightful, this work must be counted next to 'Brideshead Revisited' as Waugh's most enduring novel.

I believe also that when the three books were published as a trilogy Evelyn Waugh made some revisions to make it more coherent - so another reason to be it.

I have all three but haven't read them yet. Reading the Mitford had put me in the mood to read more of the others of hers and Waugh's I haven't read yet. (And I'm rewatching Bright Young Things which makes me want to reread Vile Bodies.) :)

Bronwyn wrote: "Reading the Mitford had put me in the mood to read more of the others of hers and Waugh's I haven't read yet. "

Ah yes, I see you're reading Christmas Pudding and Pigeon Pie by Nancy Mitford. How is that going? I hope a kindly relative will buy me The Penguin Complete Novels of Nancy Mitford for Xmas.

I've started Decca: The Letters of Jessica Mitford - enjoyable if a bit daunting, and unrelentingly upper class in its language. Everything is "awfully this" and "awfully that". Hopefully she'll lose that as she gets older - I'm not sure I can stand 750 pages of it.

Bronwyn wrote: "I have all three (Sword of Honour) but haven't read them yet."

Looking forward to your thoughts when you get round to it Bronwyn.

Greg wrote: "Have just listened to the second episode. Can it get any better? I can't find the superlatives. Incredible, brilliant. The character's voices are spot on. Can't wait to read the book now. "

Episode three was a bit more subdued, however there was still plenty to enjoy. I really must make a point of listening to more Radio 4 adaptations of classic books. Like Greg, I cannot wait to read the actually book of Sword of Honour.

Nigeyb wrote: "Greg wrote: "Have just listened to the second episode. Can it get any better? I can't find the superlatives. Incredible, brilliant. The character's voices are spot on. Can't wait to read the book n..."

Yes, episode three seems a little more subdued, compared to episode two with the 'thunder-box', but still, it has introduced a rich cast of new characters as the story has shifted to Scotland. I suspect this episode is setting things up for livelier things to come. I marvel at the character's voices. Just wonderful. I couldn't miss the voice of Colonel Jumbo Trotter, retired Royal Halberdier, played by Rupert Vansittart who is more well known as George the boor at the boatman in Four Weddings and a Funeral.

I say old boy, this is sterling stuff. Right-o, carry on. ( These characters are getting in my head, I've been thinking like this for a couple of weeks.)

Greg wrote: "I say old boy, this is sterling stuff. Right-o, carry on. ( These characters are getting in my head, I've been thinking like this for a couple of weeks.) "

Yes, I know what you mean. I frequently enjoy internal conversations based on the style of talking.

Great to see Chatty Corner make a reappearance this week. And I'm assuming Trimmer, aka McTavish, aka all his other aliases, will make further appearances after his sojourn in Glasgow with Virginia.

I can't wait to start reading the book now, however I'll wait until finishing this adaptation and then give it a month or two before tackling the book.

Nigeyb wrote: "Greg wrote: "I say old boy, this is sterling stuff. Right-o, carry on. ( These characters are getting in my head, I've been thinking like this for a couple of weeks.) "

Yes, I know what you mean. ..."

After a second and third listen to the third episode I now have a better appreciation, I now think this episode is just as 'out-there-funny' as the 'thunderbox' second episode. The Laird trying to obtain dynamite to create a Scottish seaside and sand beach resort. Guy's CO thinks "they're all stark raving mad, the lot of them."
Listening to this series, as well as recently reading Scoop and Handful of Dust and watching the film Bright Young Things has made me want to put aside everything I'm reading and just read everything by Evelyn Waugh starting with Sword of Honour. I've moved Evelyn Waugh to No. 1 on my GR favourite authors list.

Greg wrote: "I've moved Evelyn Waugh to No. 1 on my GR favourite authors list."

Rightly so. He's got the lot: eloquence, beauty, profundity, humour, originality, and accessibility. I wonder to what extent the book has this subtle, but very amusing, undercurrent. Surreal and absurd, and yet rooted in truth. Waugh seems to effortlessly nail WW2 and Englishness, and yet also find some universal truths too. An extraordinary tale.

I am wondering if Sword of Honour wasn't the culmination of all his work - his crowning glory if you will. It seems to encapsulate the majesty of Brideshead Revisited; the darkness of A Handful of Dust; and it also has the humour of Scoop and Decline and Fall.

Greg, I'll nominate Sword of Honour for the BYT January 2014 read (though fine if you want to read it before then). If it doesn't win I'll set it up as a hot read. Either way I will read it in January 2014, once I've digested the BBC Radio 4 dramatisation, and anyone who would like to, is welcome to come along and discuss this marvellous work.

Nigeyb wrote: "Greg wrote: "I've moved Evelyn Waugh to No. 1 on my GR favourite authors list."

Rightly so. He's got the lot: eloquence, beauty, profundity, humour, originality, and accessibility. I wonder to w..."

Nigeyb, Sword of Honour, I'm there with my vote. I feel a bit chagrined and annoyed with myself and feel robbed that I hadn't read, or, really been aware of and appreciated the many other works of Evelyn Waugh until recently. Brideshead was the only work that I knew. I didn't read Brideshead Revisited back the in '80s because of the BBC TV series. I assumed it was his main book and his others were less significant and not promoted and kept under the radar. I can't recall seeing anything other than BR in bookshops, new or secondhand, over the years.
It is a disgrace to be starting to fully appreciate Evelyn Waugh at this age in my life. Better late than never I suppose. This answers Ally's initial question at the start of this discussion.

I forgot to mention in my previous message on the third episode of BBC R4 SOH. Near the beginning, Guy and somebody are describing the night sky during an air raid, saying the sky either looks like a Turner or another artist. A lot of the subtle humour can be missed on first listen that wouldn't if reading it.

Val wrote: "My copy is on its way."

Wonderful news. So that's at least three of us who will be reading it over the next few months. Hurrah!

The radio dramatisation of Sword of Honour finished last Sunday. Greg and I listened together. Me sending him MP3s over to Australia for him to enjoy it too. A wonderful adaptation. Beautifully acted and directed. It's been an absolute pleasure sharing the radio adaptation with Greg. I think the book will be well worth reading. As you'll probably have already seen I've nominated it for January 2014's BYT fiction read and, if it doesn't win, will set it up as a "Hot Read/Small Book Read".

Nigeyb wrote: "The radio dramatisation of Sword of Honour finished last Sunday. Greg and I listened together. Me sending him MP3s over to Australia for him to enjoy it too. A wonderful adaptation..."

I can't stop raving about Sword of Honour. I'm so grateful to Nigeyb for sending the serial each week. I listened to each episode several times or more. I picked up so much on subsequent listens that I had missed on the first hearing, a lot of the irony, satire and some of the absurd situations. In the last episode, there's some subtle humour that can be missed as the characters lives have evolved and the story is so beautifully told and poignant towards the end.

If you transpose two letters, you get Evewyn Laugh.

Greg wrote: "Waugh Abroad: Collected Travel Writing: This is one to buy! Open at any page and I want to keep reading. "

Waugh Abroad: Collected Travel Writing sounds great. I've still yet to read any of Evelyn Waugh's non-fiction.

My library has a copy of Labels: A Mediterranean Journal, which sounds like it might form part of your book.

According to the GR synopsis for Labels: A Mediterranean Journal....



Evelyn Waugh chose the name "Labels" for his first travel book because, he said, the places he visited were already "fully labelled" in people's minds. Yet even the most seasoned traveller could not fail to be inspired by his quintessentially English attitude and by his eloquent and frequently outrageous wit. From Europe to the Middle East and North Africa, from Egyptian porters and Italian priests to Maltese sailors and Moroccan merchants - as he cruises around the Mediterranean his pen cuts through the local colour to give an entertaining portrait of the Englishman abroad.

I suspect both books would make a splendid BYT non-fiction selection. Everyone loves Evelyn Waugh here at BYT.

I notice that Labels: A Mediterranean Journal, in addition to many favourable reviews, is also a mere 174 pages. Brevity is always welcome.

Shall we try to make it so?

Yes Nigeyb, Labels is first off the rank in Waugh Abroad: Collected Travel Writing, a Tome of a read. Over thousand pages. It comes in a beautiful hardcover edition, and not heavy to hold. Waugh's non-fiction is every bit as interesting as his fiction, although yet to find the satire as with his fiction.

Mrs. K. A. Wheatley on Amazon.co.uk piques my interest further in her review of Labels: A Mediterranean Journal (Published in US as "A Bachelor Abroad") by Evelyn Waugh...

What a great book. Evelyn Waugh is more famous for books like Brideshead Revisited and A Handful of Dust, both of which are fairly tragic. He also wrote satirical, dark comedies like Scoop and The Loved One. This is a non-fiction book in which he attempts the travel genre, with in my view, stunning success. He ambles about using a cruise ship to transport him wherever his whims take him, commenting upon some of the usual sights you would expect, but also taking in local peculiarities, and more importantly people watching.

He has a wonderful turn of phrase and a delightfully irreverent approach to his commentary, he often addresses the reader directly, which makes for a much more conversational, intimate journey for the reader. He takes in the delights of France, Greece, Italy, Egypt and Algeria to name but a few. His dialogue about discovering the works of Gaudi in Barcelona is particularly charming and enthusiastic and his juxtaposition of the serious and silly works beautifully.

This is a book of its time, and in this way reminded me very much of the travel books of Lawrence Durrell which I also loved. It is worth reading, not because you will ever be able to retrace his steps, but precisely because you won't, and you are able to enter into a unique series of snapshots of a bygone era. Delightful.

I'm thinking a non-fiction nomination for the BYT Feb 2014 read might be in order. Hmmmmm.