An Freitagen nur Kaviar

The Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung has a marked the 5oth anniversary of Waugh’s death with a story by Hannes Hintermeier. It opens with an explanation of Waugh’s connection through marriage to the family that owns Highclere Castle, the setting for the TV series Downton Abbey. He then links that story to the story in Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited. Finally, in a discussion of Waugh’s biography, he explains that Waugh was a strict Roman Catholic and on Fridays ate only caviar (from which the article takes its title). There is also a discussion of Waugh’s BBC Face to Face interview and a link to the YouTube posting of the program. Your correspondent cannot follow the German translation of the Q & A but even so, it sounds funnier in German:

In einem BBC-Interview mit John Freeman präsentiert er sich selbst dann noch höflich lächelnd, wenn man damit rechnet, er würde den ungelenken Fragesteller am liebsten steinigen. Gleich auf die Einstiegsfrage, wo er geboren wurde, kontert Waugh beinahe unmerklich maliziös und doch der Wahrheit verpflichtet: „Ich habe keine Erinnerung an dieses Ereignis.“ Auf die Frage nach seinem größten Fehler sagt er wie aus der Pistole geschossen: „Reizbarkeit“. Und auf jene, warum er überhaupt zu diesem Interview sich bereit erklärt habe, „Armut“. Hervorragend umgesetzt, very Waugh.

Perhaps one of our German speaking readers could provide a translation in a comment.

COMMENT (10 April 2016, 1141a CDT): Here’s an approximate translation from Google Translate. Any improvements would be appreciated by submitting a comment:

In a BBC interview with John Freeman, he presents himself still smiling politely, probably assuming the awkward questioner preferred some one a bit stone-like. Equal to the initial question, where he was born, Waugh countered a bit maliciously, yet truthfully: “I have no memory of this event.” When asked about his biggest failing, he answers like a shot: “Irritability.” And as to why he had ever agreed to this interview, “Poverty.” Well done, very Waugh.