Alec Waugh
Alec Waugh was an English novelist and travel writer, born on July 8, 1898, in Hampstead, London. He was the son of Arthur Waugh, a prominent editor and publisher, and the older brother of the notable writer Evelyn Waugh. His early education was marred by controversy; he was expelled from Sherborne School after a homosexual encounter, an experience that later inspired his semi-autobiographical debut novel, *The Loom of Youth* (1917). Following military service, Waugh pursued a writing career that spanned over sixty years, producing more than fifty books, including notable works like *Island in the Sun* (1955) and *The Hot Countries* (1930).
Waugh's writing is characterized by its ability to engage a broad audience, although it is not primarily celebrated for literary merit. Throughout his life, he experienced multiple marriages, and his personal life often influenced his literary themes. His works have been adapted into films and include a mix of fiction, nonfiction, and short stories, with contributions to American magazines such as *The New Yorker*. Alec Waugh passed away on September 3, 1981, in Tampa, Florida, leaving behind a legacy that reflects the complexities of 20th-century literary culture.
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Subject Terms
Alec Waugh
British novelist, nonfiction writer, editor, and short fiction writer.
- Born: July 8, 1898
- Birthplace: Hampstead, London, England
- Died: September 3, 1981
- Place of death: Tampa, Florida
Biography
Alec Waugh was born on July 8, 1898, in Hampstead, London. He was the son of Arthur Waugh, an editor and publisher, and Caroline Raban Waugh and the older brother of the writer Evelyn Waugh. Through his father’s business associations, he grew up knowing many writers. He attended Fernden, a boarding school, and in September, 1911, began at Sherborne, another boarding school. He was asked to leave Sherborne after being discovered to have had a homosexual encounter with another student. His first novel, The Loom of Youth (1917), is a mainly autobiographical account of his time at the school. Sherborne removed his and his father’s names from its alumni lists after the book was published; Alec’s younger brother Evelyn was not admitted to the school because of the book. The Waughs’ names were later reinstated on the school’s records.
Waugh entered the military after leaving Sherborne, and referred to his time in a prison camp as his university training. He and other authors at the camp were allowed to read and discuss literature during their interment. Waugh married Barbara Jacobs in 1919. The marriage was annulled, without being consummated, in 1923. He married Joan Chirnside in 1932; they had three children and divorced in 1951. After the divorce, they remained friends and usually spent several months each year together. Joan died in 1969, and Waugh soon after married author Virginia Sorensen. Waugh had affairs with numerous women, many of which are described in his autobiographies or loosely used as subject matter for his novels.
After his return from military service, Waugh worked, mostly part time, at the publishing firm Chapman and Hall, which was run by his father. He left after several years to write and travel full time. His travels took him around the world several times, with Tahiti and the Caribbean figuring prominently in his writing. He rejoined the military during World War II. After the war, he became a resident of the United States but continued to travel widely. During a writing career spanning over sixty years, he published more than fifty books. Several were best-sellers; the most successful were The Loom of Youth (1917) and Island in the Sun (1955). The Hot Countries (1930), a travel book, was a Literary Guild selection; Island in the Sun was a Book of the Month Club selection. Several of his works were made into films.
Besides longer fiction, Waugh published short stories in American magazines, including The New Yorker. His autobiographies are noted for recording his encounters with members of the literati and for the amount of history they cover. Waugh died on September 3, 1981, in Tampa, Florida, following a stroke. Although his work is not remembered for strong literary merit, it holds a place in literary history for its author’s ability to capture the reading public’s imagination through much of the twentieth century.
Author Works
Edited text(s):
These I Would Choose: A Personal Anthology, 1948
Modern Prose Literature: A Critical Survey, 1973
Long Fiction:
The Loom of Youth, 1917
Roland Whately, 1922
The Lonely Unicorn, 1922
Card Castle, 1924
Kept: A Story of Post-War London, 1925
Love in These Days: A Modern Story, 1926
Nor Many Waters, 1928 (also known as Portrait of a Celibate)
Three Score and Ten, 1929
"Sir," She Said, 1930 (also known as Love in Conflict)
So Lovers Dream, 1931 (also known as That American Woman)
Leap Before You Look, 1932
Thirteen Such Years, 1932
Tropic Seed, 1932 (also known as No Quarter)
The Golden Ripple, 1933 (also known as Wheels Within Wheels: A Story of the Crisis)
Playing with Fire, 1933
The Balliols, 1934
Jill Somerset, 1936
Going Their Own Ways: A Story of Modern Marriage, 1938
No Truce with Time, 1941
His Second War, 1944
Unclouded Summer: A Love Story, 1948
Guy Renton: A London Story, 1952
Island in the Sun, 1955
Fuel for the Flame, 1960
The Mule on the Minaret, 1965
A Spy in the Family: An Erotic Comedy, 1970
The Fatal Gift, 1973
Brief Encounter, 1975 (based on the screenplay by J. Bowen)
Married to a Spy, 1976
Nonfiction:
Public School Life: Boys, Parents, Masters, 1922
Myself When Young: Confessions, 1923
The Hot Countries, 1930 (also known as The Coloured Countries)
The Sunlit Caribbean, 1948 (also known as The Sugar Islands: A Caribbean Travelogue)
The Lipton Story: A Centennial Biography, 1950
Merchants of Wine: Being a Centenary Account of the Fortunes of the House of Gilbey, 1957
In Praise of Wine and Certain Noble Spirits, 1959 (also known as In Praise of Wine)
A Family of Islands: A History of the West Indies from 1492 to 1898, with an Epilogue Sketching Events from the Spanish-American War to the 1960s, 1964
My Brother Evelyn, and Other Profiles, 1967 (also known as My Brother Evelyn, and Other Portraits)
Bangkok: The Story of a City, 1970
A Year to Remember: A Reminiscence of 1931, 1975
The Best Wine Last: An Autobiography Through the Years 1932-1969, 1978
Poetry:
Resentment, 1918
Short Fiction:
Pleasure, 1921
The Last Chukka: Stories of East and West, 1928
Pages in a Woman's Life: A Group of Stories, 1934
Eight Short Stories, 1937
My Place in the Bazaar, 1961
Bibliography
Mangan, J. A. "Conformity Confronted and Orthodoxy Outraged: The Loom of Youth – Succès de Scandale? In Search of a Wider Reality." International Journal of the History of Sport, vol. 29, no. 12, 2012, pp. 1701–714. An examination of the contemporary critical reception of The Loom of Youth.
Richards, Jeffrey. Happiest Days: The Public Schools in English Fiction. Manchester UP, 1988. Discusses the depiction of British preparatory schools in Waugh's The Loom of Youth and in his memoirs.
Quarles, Philip. "Alec Waugh's Martinique, and a Brotherly Deed to the World." WNYC, 11 Jan. 2013, www.wnyc.org/story/206689-alec-waugh. A summary of a 1956 talk by Waugh discussing his reasons for writing about the West Indies.