Bücher von Evelyn Waugh

Brideshead Revisited is Evelyn Waugh's stunning novel of duty and desire set amongst the decadent, faded glory of the English aristocracy in the run-up to the Second World War.The most nostalgic and reflective of Evelyn Waugh's novels, Brideshead Revisited looks back to the golden age before the Second World War. It tells the story of Charles Ryder's infatuation with the Marchmains and the rapidly disappearing world of privilege they inhabit. Enchanted first by Sebastian Flyte at Oxford, then by his doomed Catholic family, in particular his remote sister, Julia, Charles comes finally to recognise his spiritual and social distance from them.'Lush and evocative ... Expresses at once the profundity of change and the indomitable endurance of the human spirit'The Times

Evelyn Waugh, an English author, first published his novel Decline and Fall in 1928. Decline and Fall was Waugh's first published novel; his previous attempt, The Temple at Thatch, was destroyed while still in manuscript form. Waugh's schooling at Lancing College, undergraduate years at Hertford College in Oxford, and experience as a teacher at Arnold House in north Wales all play a role in Decline and Fall. It is a social satire that uses the author's distinctive black humor to mock various aspects of British society in the 1920s. The novel's title is a shortened version of Edward Gibbon's The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. In addition, Spengler's The Decline of the West (1918-1922), which argued that the rise of nations and cultures is inevitably followed by their eclipse, also serves as an allusion in the novel's title.Waugh read Gibbon and Spengler while writing his debut novel. Waugh's satire is unmistakably hostile to much that was popular in the late 1920s, with "themes of cultural confusion, moral disorientation, and social bedlam...both drive the novel forward and fuel its humor." According to Waugh, the "undertow of moral seriousness provides a crucial tension within [Waugh's novels], but it does not dominate them."In his 'Author's Note' to the first edition, Waugh stated, 'Please bear in mind throughout that IT IS MEANT TO BE FUNNY.'

"Decline and Fall" is a satirical novel written by the English author Evelyn Waugh. It was first published in 1928 and is Waugh's first novel. The book is widely regarded as one of the classic works of 20th-century British literature and is known for its sharp wit, dark humor, and satirical take on various aspects of society.Plot Summary:The novel follows the misadventures of its protagonist, Paul Pennyfeather, a quiet and unassuming Oxford student. Paul is mistakenly sent down (expelled) from Oxford after being the victim of a prank involving a group of drunken students. This incident sets the stage for a series of absurd and comedic events that lead Paul into a variety of unconventional situations.After leaving Oxford, Paul finds himself teaching at a second-rate boarding school, encountering eccentric characters and navigating the complexities of British society between the wars. The narrative takes a satirical look at education, social class, wealth, and morality.Themes:Satire and Social Commentary: "Decline and Fall" is a satirical novel that offers a sharp critique of various aspects of British society, including the educational system, the aristocracy, and the values of the time.Eccentric Characters: The novel is populated by a cast of eccentric and memorable characters who contribute to the humor and satire. Waugh uses these characters to lampoon different facets of society.Morality and Hypocrisy: The book explores themes of morality and exposes the hypocrisy of societal norms. It satirizes the gap between the appearance of respectability and the often morally questionable behavior of the characters.Style and Humor:Evelyn Waugh's writing in "Decline and Fall" is characterized by its clever and often dark humor. The novel is known for its witty dialogue, sharp observations, and ironic tone. Waugh's style combines satire with a sense of absurdity, creating a comedic yet biting portrayal of the world he satirizes.Legacy:"Decline and Fall" marked the beginning of Evelyn Waugh's successful literary career. It set the tone for his subsequent novels, many of which also explore themes of societal decline, satire, and the absurdity of human behavior.Overall, "Decline and Fall" is a classic work of English literature that continues to be studied and enjoyed for its humor, social commentary, and timeless exploration of human folly.

2024 Reprint of the 1947 Edition. Decline and Fall is Waugh's first novel published in 1928. It is based, in part, on Waugh's schooldays at Lancing College, undergraduate years at Hertford College, Oxford, and his experience as a teacher at Arnold House in north Wales. It is a social satire that employs the author's characteristic black humour in lampooning various features of British society in the 1920s.Reviews"Irresistible....One of Waugh's best."¿New York Times Book Review"A savagely comic masterpiece."¿Times Literary Supplement"A world of anarchic fantasy, floodlit with a bland, devastating brilliance....Waugh's people were of two classes, both of whom he knew intimately: the giddy rich and adventurers of vast caddishness....The characters reeled their lunatic way, with sublime insouciance or sublime rascality, through a harlequinade ending in gruesome but hilarious calamity."¿Charles J. Rolo, Atlantic Monthly"Decline and Fall is that all-too-rare phenomenon, a good nonsense novel. Its author has had the happy inspiration to take nothing seriously, and least of all himself. The result is a book which makes more sense than most."¿T.S. Matthews, The New Republic"Surely one of the finest satirical novels of our time, in whcih uplift, religion, romance, and personal animus do not dissipate the satiric intention."¿Ernest Jones, The Nation

>Times

Es ist nicht leicht für Guy Crouchback, in den Wirren des Zweiten Weltkriegs Offizier zu sein und Gentleman zu bleiben - besonders in London, wo ihm seine flatterhafte Exfrau andauernd über den Weg läuft. An der Front, auf Kreta und in Jugoslawien, entdeckt er in sich nicht Heldentum, sondern Menschlichkeit. Und er merkt: Auch Siege kann man verlieren.

Es gibt keine Eigenart der britischen Upperclass, die dem scharfen Auge und der ebenso scharfen Feder von Evelyn Waugh entgangen wäre: seien es der Snobismus und die Skandale der Londoner Gesellschaft, die Langeweile in den Kolonien, die Erb­schafts­ränke des Landadels oder die vergnügungssüchtige Jugend. Evelyn Waugh ins wirkliche Leben zu folgen ist ein großes Vergnügen.

Noch wartet der junge Dichter Dennis Barlow auf seinen großen Durchbruch. Doch wahrhaft absurde Abenteuer erlebt er schon vorher, als er sich in Hollywood in die Leichenkosme­tikerin Aimée verliebt. Eine Abrechnung mit allem, was verlogenen Seelen heilig ist - in neuer Über­setzung.

Adam ist überall dabei: Nachts tanzt er mit der jungen hübschen Nina von Party zu Party, um tags darauf als »Mr Chatterbox« in seiner Kolumne den neusten Londoner Tratsch zu verbreiten. Doch wird sein größter Wunsch, die Hochzeit mit Nina, jemals in Erfüllung gehen? Eine Satire auf die Spaßgesellschaft der zwanziger Jahre - noch heute hochamüsant zu lesen. In der brillanten Neuübersetzung von pociao. Verfilmt von Stephen Fry unter dem Titel Bright Young Things, mit Emily Mortimer, Dan Aykroyd, James McAvoy, Peter O'Toole u.a.

Tony Last gehört zur aussterbenden Spezies des Ehrenmanns. Er ist stolzer Besitzer von Hetton Abbey, treuer Gatte und liebevoller Vater. Doch bald zerfällt Tonys Glück zu einer Handvoll Staub. Denn seine Frau langweilt sich und macht ihm die Hölle heiß. Er reist ins Amazonasgebiet - aber der Hölle entkommt er nicht. Ein Porträt der dekadenten englischen Gesellschaft der dreißiger Jahre, in der gefeierten Neuübersetzung von pociao.

Kurz nach seinem fünfzigsten Geburtstag beschließt Gilbert Pinfold, ein weltbekannter Schriftsteller, von Rheuma und Schlafstörungen geplagt, dem Rat seines Hausarztes zu folgen und eine Schiffsreise in die Tropen anzutreten. Zunächst muss Pinfold erleben, dass unter der Besatzung des Schiffes eine Meuterei ausbricht; und schließlich erfährt er, dass er das Opfer einer regelrechten Verschwörung werden sol ...

Die Kaiserin Helena, Mutter Konstantins des Großen, begründete die legendäre Pilgerreise nach Palästina, wo sie angeblich Teile des echten Kreuzes Christi fand. Ihr ungewöhnliches Leben, die enormen Konflikte dieser Zeit, Korruption und Verrat, und der Wahnsinn des imperialistischen Roms gaben Waugh ausreichend Stoff für einen hervorragenden, äußerst spannenden Geschichtsroman.

Azania, eine fiktive Insel vor der Küste Afrikas. Seit kurzem herrscht dort Kaiser Seth, der in Oxford studiert hat. Zusammen mit dem Abenteurer Basil Seal versucht er, auf der Insel die moderne Zivilisation einzuführen - mit aberwitzigen Konsequenzen. Eine turbulente Satire auf den Kolonialismus.

'It would be a dull world if we all thought alike.'After seven years of marriage, the beautiful Lady Brenda Last is bored with life at Hetton Abbey, the Gothic mansion that is the pride and joy of her husband, Tony. She drifts into an affair with the shallow socialite John Beaver and forsakes Tony for the Belgravia set. Brilliantly combining tragedy, comedy and savage irony, A Handful of Dust captures the irresponsible mood of the 'crazy and sterile generation' between the wars.

This reissue of a largely forgotten book by Evelyn Waugh will be the first in our new series edited by John Maxwell Hamilton, From Our Own Correspondent. Waugh's hilarious novel, Scoop, is said to be the closest thing foreign correspondents have to a Bible. Along with generations of general readers, the correspondents swear by and laugh at the antics of reporters in Waugh's fictional Ishmaelia. Few readers, however, are as acquainted with this title. It is Waugh's memoir of his time as a London Daily Mail correspondent in Abyssinia, what is today Ethiopia, during the mid-1930's when Italy invaded the hapless country. Waugh's account, though often criticized for its endorsement of the Italian invasion, provides a fascinating short history of Mussolini's imperial strides. It also introduces Waugh's famous wit and the characters and follies that figure into his notorious satire.