Category Archives: World War II

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

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 →

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V-E Day Roundup

–As the observance of the 75th anniversary of V-E Day approaches, the Daily Mail has posted in a slide show a collection of 1945 events that seemed to presage a return to a social system where class status was again … Continue reading →

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Book Clubs and Waugh

An article has been posted on the academic website TheConversation.com entitled “Book clubs and the Blitz: how WWII Britons kept calm and got reading.” This is by Nicola Wilson of the University of Reading. She explains the growth of book … Continue reading →

Posted in Academia, Bibliophilia, Brideshead Revisited, Put Out More Flags, Research, Robbery Under Law, World War II | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Waugh and the Coronavirus (more)

An estate owner in rural Shropshire called into The Times with a story suggesting that rather than being locked-down in London, those of its readers with sufficient funds might like to avail themselves of vacation lets on his estate which … Continue reading →

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Evelyn Waugh Studies 50.3 (Winter 2019)

The Winter 2019 issue of the Society’s journal Evelyn Waugh Studies No. 50.3 has been issued. It is posted at this link. The contents are set out below: ARTICLES “Evelyn Waugh, Brideshead and Castle Howard” by Jeffrey Manley INTRODUCTION Castle … Continue reading →

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Anthropologist at the Hypocrites Club

A new book surveys the professional career of E E Evans-Pritchard, a noted anthropologist who made his reputation with studies of Sudanese cultures. This biography is entitled The Anthropological Lens: A Dandy Among the Azande and is written by Christopher … Continue reading →

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Sword of Honour Re-examined

The current issue of the literary magazine Raritan Quarterly (Winter 2020, v. 39, #3) includes an article by Andrew J Bacevich about Waugh’s war trilogy. This is entitled “My Guy”, giving some indication that Bacevich finds himself in agreement with … Continue reading →

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Peter Fleming’s War Career (More)

In the current New Criterion, D J Taylor reviews the recent biography of Peter Fleming, brother of Ian and friend of Evelyn Waugh. See previous post. Before addressing the contents of this biography, which covers his military career, Taylor discusses … Continue reading →

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Waugh’s Bananas in New Essay Collection

A new essay collection published last month includes an item devoted to the anecdote told by Auberon Waugh about his father consuming the first post-war bananas available to his family in front of his fruit-deprived children, some of whom had … Continue reading →

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Waugh Appears in Vatican Document Release

The Vatican recently released a large quantity of documentary archives that cover the period at the end of WWII. It is not surprising that much of the press comment on these documents relates to their reflection on the attitude of … Continue reading →

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