Waugh, Evelyn, << waw, EEV lihn >> (1903-1966), was an English author best known for his satirical novels about wealthy London society. In addition, he wrote novels that combined comic satire with spiritual and religious themes.
In his novels, Waugh explored the pretentious and absurd qualities he saw in ambitious, upper middle-class English people. Waugh’s characters were often only thinly disguised portraits of actual people who were well known in England during the mid-1900’s. Waugh strongly believed that the upper classes should have special rights and privileges. But his novels reflect his belief that the behavior of the upper classes was sometimes heartless and superficial. Waugh’s first satirical novel was Decline and Fall (1928). His other important satires include Vile Bodies (1930), Black Mischief (1932), and A Handful of Dust (1934).
Waugh converted to Roman Catholicism in 1930. The novels written after his conversion show an increasing concern with religious questions. Although Waugh continued to write such humorous satires as The Loved One (1948), he also wrote more serious, searching novels. The most famous is Brideshead Revisited (1945), a study of an aristocratic Catholic family. Waugh’s other later novels include the autobiographical The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold (1957) and three related novels about World War II. These books are Men at Arms (1952), Officers and Gentlemen (1955), and Unconditional Surrender (American title The End of the Battle, 1961).
Waugh also wrote much nonfiction, including travel books, biographies, and essays. In his autobiography, A Little Learning (1964), he described his childhood and youth. Waugh’s Diaries (1976) and Letters (1980), published after his death, are filled with gossip and personal opinion that is often malicious, snobbish, or prejudiced. The Complete Stories of Evelyn Waugh was published in 1999. Evelyn Arthur St. John Waugh was born on Oct. 28, 1903, in London. He died on April 10, 1966. Alec Waugh (1898-1981), Evelyn’s older brother, was a popular English novelist and travel writer.
