Category Archives: Fiction

Quarreling with Waugh

Posted on January 4, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

In an interview posted earlier today by ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) Clive James is asked by Mark Colvin for more insight into his recent rereading of Waugh’s Sword of Honour: I’m always re-reading it. Always quarreling with him. But you always … Continue reading →

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English Men of Letters

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

Critic and novelist D.J. Taylor’s new study The Prose Factory: Literary Life in England since 1918 is being reviewed in advance of its January 7th U.K. publication date. The book is primarily devoted to those who made their livings as men (or … Continue reading →

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Brideshead Castle vs. Downton Abbey

Posted on January 3, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

Today’s Op-Ed pages in the New York Times carry a story (“The Stately Gift Shops of England”) about the English country house. This is by novelist Charles Lambert who credits this institution’s survival to the heritage industry and its primary advocate, the … Continue reading →

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Sebastian’s New Year’s Resolution

Posted on January 2, 2016 by Jeffrey Manley

The book publisher Quirk Books has posted a list of New Year’s resolutions recommended for adoption by literary characters. Here’s the one for Sebastian Flyte from Brideshead Revisited: We love a good teddy bear as much as the next person, but … Continue reading →

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Tanks, but No Tanks

Posted on December 31, 2015 by Jeffrey Manley

A brief history of the Battle of Crete has been posted on a military history weblog. In it there is a brief mention of Waugh and his Commando unit in action. This occurs near the end of the battle: After … Continue reading →

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Waugh and “Dickensian”

Posted on December 30, 2015 by Jeffrey Manley

A reviewer in the Guardian has written a survey of earlier reviews of a new BBC TV series. This is Dickensian which began with 4 of the 20 episodes earlier this week. The idea, conceived by Tony Jordan (of East Enders), … Continue reading →

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Rex Mottram, the Weather Forecast and Papal Infallibility

Posted on December 29, 2015 by Jeffrey Manley

Rex Mottram’s casual acceptance of Roman Catholic dogma scores a twofer in this week’s conservative Catholic websites. Earlier in the week, it was his understanding of sacred monkeys in the Vatican that rated a mention. Now another site, The Stream, carries … Continue reading →

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Cordelia’s Sacred Monkeys

Posted on December 28, 2015 by Jeffrey Manley

A Roman Catholic traditional rite weblog has posted an article arguing, somewhat tongue in cheek, that Cordelia Flyte’s fanciful tutorial for Rex Mottram’s religious instruction in Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited has, in part at least, come true. Among the beliefs she jokingly told … Continue reading →

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Battle at “Brideshead”

Posted on December 27, 2015 by Jeffrey Manley

The Sunday Telegraph and Mail on Sunday both carry reports of a sibling battle at Castle Howard over the running and occupancy of the estate. The North Yorkshire estate was the setting for both film adaptations of Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited. Waugh himself had … Continue reading →

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New Book Challenges Waugh’s Views of Selassie

Posted on December 26, 2015 by Jeffrey Manley

A new book on the life and career of Emperor Haile Selassie challenges the views of his earlier critics. The book, King of Kings: The Triumph and Tragedy of Emperor Haile Selassie I of Ethiopia, translated from the original German, is reviewed … Continue reading →

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