Evelyn Waugh Biography

Evelyn Waugh, Author
Attr: Carl Van Vechten, Public domain
Born asArthur Evelyn St. John Waugh
Occup.Author
FromUnited Kingdom
BornOctober 28, 1903
London, England
DiedApril 10, 1966
Combe Florey, Somerset, England
CauseHeart attack
Aged62 years
Early Life
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh, also known as Evelyn Waugh, was born upon October 28, 1903, in London, United Kingdom, to Arthur Waugh, a successful publisher and literary critic, and his other half, Catherine. He had an older brother called Alec who would likewise end up being a popular novelist and biographer.

Evelyn got his early education at Heath Mount School in Hampstead and later on attended Lancing College, a boarding school in West Sussex. Regardless of not excelling academically, he developed an eager interest in literature and started writing stories and poems in his youth. Waugh had a struggling relationship with his father and often felt eclipsed by his more effective brother.

University Life
Waugh continued his education at Hertford College, Oxford, where he studied history. His experiences at Oxford played an important function in forming his literary tastes and social views. During this time, Waugh became part of the Hypocrites' Club, a group of iconoclastic boys whose members would later motivate many characters in his books. Waugh's association with the club eventually led him to establish a credibility as a dandy and wit.

Despite a lack of commitment to his research studies, Waugh managed to finish with a third-class degree in history in 1924.

Career Beginnings
After leaving Oxford, Waugh initially tried to pursue a profession in mentor and worked as a schoolmaster at various organizations, including Aston Clinton School in Buckinghamshire. Nevertheless, he quickly recognized that mentor was not his calling and turned his attention to writing. In 1928, he published his very first book, "Decline and Fall", based upon his mentor experiences.

Literary Success
"Decline and Fall" got immediate success, marking the start of Waugh's renowned literary career. The novel's sharp wit and satirical representation of British society made him prevalent admiration. Following this, Waugh released "Vile Bodies" (1930), which spoofed the unimportant way of life of the young upper-class in the interwar duration. This book further solidified his reputation as a leading satirist of his time.

During the 1930s, Waugh produced a series of books, each handling different aspects of British society and culture. Some of his noteworthy works during this period consist of "A Handful of Dust" (1934), which explored the decay of aristocratic values, and "Scoop" (1938), a satire of sensationalist journalism.

World War II and Later Career
At the outbreak of World War II, Waugh employed in the British Army and served in numerous capacities throughout the war. His wartime experiences provided the basis for numerous of his later works, consisting of "Men at Arms" (1952), "Officers and Gentlemen" (1955), and "Unconditional Surrender" (1961), which together form the "Sword of Honour" trilogy-- considered by numerous as his most substantial accomplishment.

Waugh's disgust with post-war Britain and its perceived moral decrease led him to accept conservative and Roman Catholic worths in his works. His 1945 novel, "Brideshead Revisited", is possibly the best example of this shift, exploring styles of fond memories, faith, and the decrease of the upper class.

In the 1950s and 1960s, Waugh continued to compose prolifically, producing essays, biographies, and take a trip accounts in addition to his fiction works. Much of these bore the trademark of his caustic wit and biting satire.

Personal Life
Waugh wed twice throughout his life time. His first marital relationship, to Evelyn Gardner in 1928, ended in an extensively advertised divorce after a short period. The couple had no children. In 1937, he married Laura Herbert, with whom he had seven children. Waugh's personal life was typically overshadowed by his rough relationships, bouts of anxiety, and problems coming from his conservative outlook on life.

Death and Legacy
Evelyn Waugh passed away at the age of 62 on April 10, 1966, at his home in Combe Florey, Somerset. His last years were marked by decreasing health and increasing bitterness towards the altering world around him.

Waugh's contribution to English literature is huge, and his novels continue to read and admired to this day. Frequently considered as one of the finest satirists and prose stylists of the 20th century, Waugh's work encapsulated the shifting cultural and social landscape of the time while offering acerbic commentary on the human condition. His influence on subsequent generations of authors and satirists is immense, and he remains a vital figure in the record of British literature.

Our collection contains 32 quotes who is written / told by Evelyn.

Related authors: Auberon Waugh (Author), Anthony Powell (Novelist), Ice T (Musician), Lawrence Taylor (Athlete)

Evelyn Waugh Famous Works:
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32 Famous quotes by Evelyn Waugh

Small: Perhaps host and guest is really the happiest relation for father and son
"Perhaps host and guest is really the happiest relation for father and son"
Small: Almost all crime is due to the repressed desire for aesthetic expression
"Almost all crime is due to the repressed desire for aesthetic expression"
Small: All this fuss about sleeping together. For physical pleasure Id sooner go to my dentist any day
"All this fuss about sleeping together. For physical pleasure I'd sooner go to my dentist any day"
Small: We schoolmasters must temper discretion with deceit
"We schoolmasters must temper discretion with deceit"
Small: We class schools into four grades: leading school, first-rate school, good school and school
"We class schools into four grades: leading school, first-rate school, good school and school"
Small: We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them
"We cherish our friends not for their ability to amuse us, but for ours to amuse them"
Small: There is a species of person called a Modern Churchman who draws the full salary of a beneficed clergym
"There is a species of person called a 'Modern Churchman' who draws the full salary of a beneficed clergyman and need not commit himself to any religious belief"
Small: There are no poetic ideas only poetic utterances
"There are no poetic ideas; only poetic utterances"
Small: The truth is that Oxford is simply a very beautiful city in which it is convenient to segregate a certa
"The truth is that Oxford is simply a very beautiful city in which it is convenient to segregate a certain number of the young of the nation while they are growing up"
Small: The human mind is inspired enough when it comes to inventing horrors it is when it tries to invent a He
"The human mind is inspired enough when it comes to inventing horrors; it is when it tries to invent a Heaven that it shows itself cloddish"
Small: Punctuality is the virtue of the bored
"Punctuality is the virtue of the bored"
Small: Professional reviewers read so many bad books in the course of duty that they get an unhealthy craving
"Professional reviewers read so many bad books in the course of duty that they get an unhealthy craving for arresting phrases"
Small: Pray always for all the learned, the oblique, the delicate. Let them not be quite forgotten at the thro
"Pray always for all the learned, the oblique, the delicate. Let them not be quite forgotten at the throne of God when the simple come into their kingdom"
Small: Your actions, and your action alone, determines your worth
"Your actions, and your action alone, determines your worth"
Small: You never find an Englishman among the under-dogs except in England, of course
"You never find an Englishman among the under-dogs except in England, of course"
Small: Other nations use force we Britons alone use Might
"Other nations use 'force'; we Britons alone use 'Might'"
Small: One forgets words as one forgets names. Ones vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die
"One forgets words as one forgets names. One's vocabulary needs constant fertilizing or it will die"
Small: Not everyone grows to be old, but everyone has been younger than he is now
"Not everyone grows to be old, but everyone has been younger than he is now"
Small: News is what a chap who doesnt care much about anything wants to read. And its only news until hes read
"News is what a chap who doesn't care much about anything wants to read. And it's only news until he's read it. After that it's dead"
Small: My unhealthy affection for my second daughter has waned. Now I despise all my seven children equally
"My unhealthy affection for my second daughter has waned. Now I despise all my seven children equally"
Small: Money is only useful when you get rid of it. It is like the odd card in Old Maid the player who is fina
"Money is only useful when you get rid of it. It is like the odd card in "Old Maid"; the player who is finally left with it has lost"
Small: Manners are especially the need of the plain. The pretty can get away with anything
"Manners are especially the need of the plain. The pretty can get away with anything"
Small: It is a curious thing... that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable fo
"It is a curious thing... that every creed promises a paradise which will be absolutely uninhabitable for anyone of civilized taste"
Small: Instead of this absurd division into sexes they ought to class people as static and dynamic
"Instead of this absurd division into sexes they ought to class people as static and dynamic"
Small: In the dying world I come from, quotation is a national vice
"In the dying world I come from, quotation is a national vice"
Small: If we cant stamp out literature in the country, we can at least stop its being brought in from outside
"If we can't stamp out literature in the country, we can at least stop its being brought in from outside"
Small: I think to be oversensitive about cliches is like being oversensitive about table manners
"I think to be oversensitive about cliches is like being oversensitive about table manners"
Small: I put the words down and push them a bit
"I put the words down and push them a bit"
Small: I havent been to sleep for over a year. Thats why I go to bed early. One needs more rest if one doesnt
"I haven't been to sleep for over a year. That's why I go to bed early. One needs more rest if one doesn't sleep"
Small: He was gifted with the sly, sharp instinct for self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich
"He was gifted with the sly, sharp instinct for self-preservation that passes for wisdom among the rich"
Small: Dont hold your parents up to contempt. After all, you are their son, and it is just possible that you m
"Don't hold your parents up to contempt. After all, you are their son, and it is just possible that you may take after them"
Small: Art is the symbol of the two noblest human efforts: to construct and to refrain from destruction
"Art is the symbol of the two noblest human efforts: to construct and to refrain from destruction"