Evelyn Waugh: A Life Revisited

Noted British biographer Eade (Sylvia, Queen of the Headhunters) draws a well-crafted, slightly frothy portrait of the complex, difficult literary icon Evelyn Waugh (1903–1966). Undeterred by several previous accounts, Eade focuses on Waugh’s colorful personal life and exploits with the “smart set” of his time. The cameo appearance of dozens of glamorous figures throughout the book approaches literary name-dropping. Eade includes Harold Acton, Rebecca West, and many other English characters who range from the louche to the distinguished and are sometimes both at once. Enthusiastic tales of house parties and high-end adventures crowd out Waugh’s prolific work, some of which goes almost unmentioned. However, Eade does show how Waugh’s Oxford years inspired his most highly regarded novel, Brideshead Revisited, and how his trip to 1940s Hollywood led to his acid satire The Loved One. Despite the book’s crowded canvas, its narrative trajectory is straightforward. A bad first marriage preceded a long second union with seven children, fame, physical decline, and early death at 62. Waugh’s cruel streak, evident all his life, made him many enemies. With appreciation and empathy, Eade also points out Waugh’s many kindnesses, and his intense loyalty to the Catholic Church after converting. Eade’s treatment reveals a man of astonishing awareness of his gifts and failings, great sincerity, and wit. (Oct.)