Category Archives: Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle

Roundup: Book List and Bullingdon

Posted on April 23, 2022 by Jeffrey Manley

–Charles Moore writing in the Daily Telegraph has a story entitled “Not even the Queen’s Jubilee is safe from BBC preaching: There are good writers all across the Commonwealth, but Auntie insists on telling us that it knows best”. He … Continue reading →

Posted in Anniversaries, Decline and Fall, Newspapers, Oxford, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle | Tagged , , , , , , | Comments Off on Roundup: Book List and Bullingdon

Joan Didion (1934-2021) R. I. P.

Posted on December 26, 2021 by Jeffrey Manley

American novelist, essayist and journalist Joan Didion (1934-2021) died earlier this week in New York City at the age of 87. A memorial column in the National Review remembers her as an early contributor to their pages in what was … Continue reading →

Posted in Newspapers, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle | Tagged , | Comments Off on Joan Didion (1934-2021) R. I. P.

Roundup: Travel Book Revival?

Posted on July 19, 2021 by Jeffrey Manley

–A new book about travel writing has been published. Ever hopefully, a new look for a possible revival of the genre is undertaken by Tim Hannigan in his book The Travel Writing Tribe. This is reviewed by Noo Saro-Wiwa and … Continue reading →

Posted in Brideshead Revisited, Interviews, Newspapers, Non-fiction, Television, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle, World War II | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Roundup: Travel Book Revival?

Sword of Honour Reviewed in Italy (More)

Posted on January 11, 2021 by Jeffrey Manley

Luca Fumagalli has completed his review of Sword of Honour with two installments in subsequent postings on Radio Spada.  See previous post for volume 1. The review and summary of second volume Officers and Gentlemen (Ufficiale e Gentiluomini in Italian) … Continue reading →

Posted in Newspapers, Officers and Gentlemen, Sword of Honour, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Sword of Honour Reviewed in Italy (More)

Memoir of “The Loot”

Posted on November 9, 2020 by Jeffrey Manley

David Platzer has written a memoir of his acquaintanceship with Stuart Preston who was well known during his military service days among Waugh and his friends in WWII London. The memoir, entitled “A Sergeant Abroad”, appears in the latest issue … Continue reading →

Posted in Newspapers, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Memoir of “The Loot”

War Trilogy: Fake Novels and an Anniversary

Posted on October 22, 2020 by Jeffrey Manley

In the latest issue of TLS, D J Taylor has written an essay on what he calls “Made-up Stories” or fake novels. What reminded him of the genre (if that’s what it is) was his recent re-reading of Anthony Powell’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Anniversaries, Brideshead Revisited, Newspapers, Officers and Gentlemen, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle, Work Suspended, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on War Trilogy: Fake Novels and an Anniversary

Cyril in Fiction: Roundup

Posted on May 21, 2020 by Jeffrey Manley

–In his latest posting, Duncan Mclaren discusses yet another of Waugh’s friends. This time it is Cyril Connolly’s turn. McLaren looks at Cyril’s appearances in several of Waugh’s novels, at first obliquely as a name assigned to an unrelated character … Continue reading →

Posted in A Handful of Dust, A Tourist in Africa, Evelyn Waugh Studies, The Loved One, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle | Tagged , , , , | Comments Off on Cyril in Fiction: Roundup

Not Wanted: Coronavirus Novels (At Least, Not Yet)

Posted on May 6, 2020 by Jeffrey Manley

In the latest issue of Literary Review, literary critic and novelist D J Taylor has an article entitled “Why I Won’t Be Writing a Coronavirus Novel”. This begins with his fears that some half baked ideas may already be forming … Continue reading →

Posted in Brideshead Revisited, Newspapers, Put Out More Flags, Sword of Honour, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle, World War II | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Not Wanted: Coronavirus Novels (At Least, Not Yet)

Waugh and Celebrations, or not, as the Case May Be

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Jeffrey Manley

–The Guardian in an editorial recently addressed various proposals to celebrate (or gloat over) Brexit. These range from suggestions of Nigel Farage and Boris Johnson that Big Ben be temporarily brought back into service to ring in their victory and Leave … Continue reading →

Posted in Brideshead Revisited, Festivals, Newspapers, Photographs, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Waugh and Celebrations, or not, as the Case May Be

Roundup: Witchcraft and Victory

Posted on August 26, 2019 by Jeffrey Manley

–The Daily Telegraph reviews a new history of witchcraft since 1800 entitled Cursed Britain by Thomas Waters. The review is by Robert Leigh-Pemberton and opens with this: The “Swahili witch doctor”, installed in rooms “off the Edgware Road” by the … Continue reading →

Posted in Adaptations, Brideshead Revisited, Humo(u)r, Newspapers, Radio Programs, Scoop, Sword of Honour, The Loved One, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle, World War II | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Roundup: Witchcraft and Victory