Alexander Waugh (More)

Additional obituaries and other notices have been posted memorializing the death of Alexander Waugh. The one by Mark McGinness posted by the Australian literary journal Quadrant is of particular note. Here’s the opening paragraph:

The death of Alexander Waugh at only sixty is a grievous blow for the world of scholarship and letters. And yet, although only sixty, he leaves a prodigious and eclectic oeuvre. Cartoonist, musician, impresario, record producer, composer, opera critic, publisher, writer, editor and archivist. Perhaps it was inevitable  — and it seems he fought it – that the great-grandson of Arthur Waugh, grandson of Evelyn, and son of Auberon would be a writer. He certainly inherited a number of Waugh-like traits  —  eloquence, intelligence, wit and a genius for mischief. As the Spectator’s literary editor, Sam Leith, saw it, the Waughs’ have had a ‘patrilineal inability to pass an applecart without giving it a shove.’…

The full article may be viewed at this link.

Another is by Dr James Alexander who teaches at the Bilkent University in Turkey. It opens with this:

So Alexander Waugh has died, aged only 60. He was, as I wrote a few months ago, third in the line of great Waughs. His father, Auberon, died aged only 61. His grandfather, Evelyn, died aged only 62. Sixty two, 61, 60: diminishing returns, perhaps, at least in age. There is no question, I think, that Alexander was less famous than Auberon, who was less famous than Evelyn. But, remarkably, there was no loss of quality. Alexander was as perfect an embodiment of a classical, catholic and coruscatory sensibility in literature and the arts as was his father and his grandfather. I cannot think of a comparison. Amis fils was a lesser figure than Amis père. Adam Nicolson writes well – his Homer book was a marvel (the best single thing written on Homer apart from Weil’s essay and some of Gladstone’s speculations) – but whatever Nigel and Harold were, they were not capable of Waughfare. It is hard to think of any example of similar sustained activity across three generations as the three Waughs managed, or such continuity of critical and satirical assault – always manifested in the highest of styles…

His complete text was posted in The Daily Skeptic website and can be read here. Both of these are thoughtful and detailed and mention three or more generations of Waugh writers.

Finally, our reader David Lull had kindly forwarded a link to a item from  The Oldie Magazine. This notes Alexander’s passing and posts an article they published by Alexander relating to his great uncle Alec Waugh. Here’s the link.