(Drivebycuriosity) - Evelyn Waugh may be most known by his novel "Brideshead Revisited", especially by the TV-adaption with Jeremy Irons. But the English author wrote much more and is loved for his "dark and wicked satire" (libertiesjournal ). The anthology "The Complete Stories Of Evelyn Waugh" is wonderful mixture, full of witty & amusing tales and offers brilliant observations of people´s weaknesses, English gentry, but also anticipates today´s wokeness ( amazon).
There are at least 8 gems:
A House of Gentlefolks: Told in first person by a man who is hired as a tutor for a young heir of an aristocratic family. Waugh is making fun of the challenging task and the old fashioned & quirky employers.
Too much Tolerance: A mocking story about a man, who is extremely tolerant and has a very open mind; a person who accepts everyone and everything without regard to his own interests. Everyone is called a "jolly got chap" and "awfully nice person", whatever they do. In today´s terms a satire about wokeness and Political Correctness (PC).
Bella Fleace Gave a Party: An elderly well-off lady intends to break out of her social isolation and plans to have some fun.
The Man Who Liked Dickens: A kind of horror story, set in the Amazon River area, about a luckless man who is stranded there.
Mr. Loveday`s Little Outing: Another take on the perils of wokeness.
Winner Takes All: A story about a much biased mother and her 2 sons.
An English Man`s Home: The residents of a nice and sleepy English village get alarmed when suddenly people appear, who announce that they want to build a noisy chemical factory there.
Antony, Who Sought Things That Were Lost: A fairy tale about love turning into hate.
I enjoyed Waugh´s elegant style and his funny ideas. Someday I might read more by him.
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