Category Archives: Catholicism

Waugh’s Ash Wednesdays

On this Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in the Western Christian Churches, the National Catholic Register has posted an article recounting how Evelyn Waugh and his colleague Fr Ronald Knox observed the occasion. Here’s the Waugh version: He … Continue reading

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Roundup: Boris Johnson, Arcadia and a Feghoot

–The New Statesman mentions Waugh twice in separate articles recounting the last days of Boris Johnson’s premiership. The first is by Jason Cowley and is entitled “In 2019 Boris Johnson had everything he wanted. But the gods were waiting for … Continue reading

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Roundup: Changing of the Guard

–The main story of the week is of course the fall of Boris Johnson. Veteran journalist Max Hastings writing in The Times brings a Waugh character into his assessment of Johnson’s career: Herein, I suggest, lay much of the extraordinary … Continue reading

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Early April Roundup

–In the Daily Telegraph, Rupert Christiansen has reviewed Daisy Dunn’s previously mentioned new book Not Far from Brideshead. The review is entitled “The Greats [sic] and the good at Oxford.” Here’s an excerpt: …Dunn writes with intelligence and verve, but … Continue reading

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The Times Revisits Castle Howard

Today’s issue of The Times carries an article by Andrew Billen (“Stately homes to spare? TV stardom beckons”) recommending country houses to visit, once they are reopened to the public, based on their setting for TV series and films. This … Continue reading

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Boxing Day Roundup

–Penguin have announced the issuance of a new edition of Waugh’s first book Rossetti: His Life and Work. This will be in the Penguin Modern Classics series and will be issued in the UK in April 2022. It will be … Continue reading

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Post-Thanksgiving Roundup

–10 December will mark the 10th anniversary of the death of Christopher Hitchens. This is commemorated in the Financial Times by an article entitled “The World Christopher Hitchens Left Behind”. This is by Janan Ganash who might have used as … Continue reading

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Clarissa Churchill (1920-2021) R.I.P.

One of the last of Evelyn Waugh’s contemporary friends died yesterday. This is Clarissa Churchill.  Her father was Jack Churchill, Winston’s younger brother, and she was always close to Winston’s family. She grew up in a house in South Kensington … Continue reading

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Waugh’s 118th Birthday

Yesterday, 28 October, was Evelyn Waugh’s 118th birthday. He was born on that date in 1903. This event was marked in several brief announcements (including one showing that  actress Elsa Lanchester was born on the same day, something the two … Continue reading

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AN Wilson Returns to Brideshead

The Oldie joins the Spectator in commemorating this week’s 40th anniversary of the 1981 Granada TV adaptation of Brideshead Revisited. They send critic and novelist AN Wilson back to have another look. He begins by noting Waugh’s main themes: the … Continue reading

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