Category Archives: Newspapers

Vile Bodies Inspired by Misery

In today’s Boston Globe, columnist Alex Beam has an article bemoaning what he sees as the seemingly inexorable spread of gratuitous happiness. He cites Evelyn Waugh as an example of what it’s opposite can inspire: What’s so great about happiness? … Continue reading

Posted in Letters, Newspapers, Vile Bodies | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Vile Bodies Inspired by Misery

Basil Seal Rides Yet Again

D.J. Taylor in the Independent announces low expectations for the BBC’s plans to revive its 1970s sit. com. Some Mothers Do ‘Ave ‘Em. The plan is to have the 74 year old Michael Crawford reprise his role as youthfully naive Frank Spencer among a … Continue reading

Posted in Basil Seal Rides Again, Black Mischief, Newspapers, Put Out More Flags, Scoop, Television Programs, Work Suspended | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Basil Seal Rides Yet Again

Jacob Rees-Mogg Brideshead Fan, Up to a Point

The Daily Mail recently published a profile of Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg. He is a leading Euro-skeptic and has been called The Honourable Member for the 18th Century as well as a back bench Bertie Wooster. He might also be … Continue reading

Posted in Adaptations, Brideshead Revisited, Newspapers, Television | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Jacob Rees-Mogg Brideshead Fan, Up to a Point

Charles Ryder as Character Model

Charles Ryder from Waugh’s novel Brideshead Revisited appears as a character model in two recent articles. In a Roman Catholic newsblog (Catholicphilly.com) he is compared to the hero of a recent Hollywood religious film called Risen, based on the origins of … Continue reading

Posted in Brideshead Revisited, Newspapers | Tagged , , , , , | Comments Off on Charles Ryder as Character Model

Waugh’s Religion

In the current issue of the U.K. paper The Catholic Herald, an article (“Seduced by the ‘Devil’ Hitler” by Francis Phillips) opens with a familiar quote from Evelyn Waugh: There is a well-known story about the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He … Continue reading

Posted in Biographies, Catholicism, Letters, Newspapers | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on Waugh’s Religion

Heywood Hill Bookstore Still Thriving

The Mayfair bookstore where Waugh was a customer and his friend Nancy Mitford was a manager is profiled in this week’s New York Times “T” magazine (“Shelf Life” p. 196). This is the Heywood Hill book store, in an article by Sarah … Continue reading

Posted in First Editions, London, Newspapers, Unconditional Surrender/The End of the Battle | Tagged , , | Comments Off on Heywood Hill Bookstore Still Thriving

George Osborne and the Brothers Waugh

In his latest column for the Independent newspaper (soon to be digital-only), D.J. Taylor expresses sympathy for Chancellor of the Exchequer George Osborne. This is on the occasion of the announcement last week that Osborne’s brother Adam had been stricken from … Continue reading

Posted in Alec Waugh, Articles, Newspapers | Tagged , , | Comments Off on George Osborne and the Brothers Waugh

Boot Magna School of Economics

A reporter for the Idaho Statesman is reminded of a character from Scoop in a recent story: Robert Gordon’s new book on productivity in the U.S. economy, “The Rise and Fall of American Growth,” is masterful, but reminds me of … Continue reading

Posted in Newspapers, Scoop | Tagged , | Comments Off on Boot Magna School of Economics

Comedian Ben Miller Names Waugh Among Favorites

The online edition of the Daily Mail carries an interview by Gwendolyn Smith of British comedian Ben Miller for the paper’s Event Magazine. Miller recently appeared in the BBC TV series Death in Paradise and has previously been seen in the … Continue reading

Posted in Decline and Fall, Interviews, Newspapers, Scoop, Television Programs | Tagged , | 1 Comment

First Edition of Brideshead to be Auctioned

Today’s papers report that a rare pre-publication copy of Brideshead Revisited belonging to the late Duchess of Devonshire (born Deborah Mitford) will be auctioned by Southeby’s.  Here is the story from the Guardian: The items include a true first edition of … Continue reading

Posted in Auctions, Brideshead Revisited, First Editions, Items for Sale, Letters, Newspapers, Ronald Knox | Tagged , , , | Comments Off on First Edition of Brideshead to be Auctioned