The Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh [Hardcover]

Charlotte Mosley (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 26, 1997

Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh, two of the twentieth century's most gifted writers, matched wits and exchanged insults in a continuous irreverent dialogue. Their delicious letters, most never before published (for fear of speaking ill of the living), provide colorful glimpses of both lives, of an enduring but thorny friendship, and of the literary and social circles of London and Paris at midcentury. Waugh and Mitford came out of the group of London socialites known as the Bright Young Things; they both found best-selling success in the 1940s, Waugh with Brideshead Revisited, Mitford with The Pursuit of Love. In their letters they sharpened their wits at the expense of friends and enemies alike and eagerly dissected their friends, including Harold Acton, Graham Greene, the Sitwells, Duff and Diana Cooper, Randolph Churchill, and their favorite butt, Cyril Connolly. Waugh's pessimistic brand of Roman Catholicism clashed with Mitford's cheerful iconoclasm; her francophilia only fueled he

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Charlotte Mosley's careful collection of Nancy Mitford's and Evelyn Waugh's delightfully careless letters immerses one in a lost whirl. The two writers met in London in the late 1920s, but their correspondence didn't take off until mid-World War II, when it quickly became an exaggeration-fest. Mitford, for example, matches Waugh's surreal reports from Europe with one about an M.P. swelling up before his fellow politicians' eyes: "Well, it took 2 ambulances to get him away & now he lies on 4 beds with his trunk hanging out the window. Let nobody say that war time London lacks fantasy."

For the next 21 years, these gifted gossips would render the ridiculous sublime and vice versa, turning (and then only mildly) serious in discussions of reading and writing, preferring to glide over the problematic and emotional. Throughout, Mitford likes to play the euphoric, lazy pupil, Waugh the master grammarian, theologian, and meanie. The exchanges on their own works in progress--particularly on Brideshead Revisited and The Pursuit of Love--are an important addition to literary history, but the book's true exhilaration lies in Mitford and Waugh's knowing--and knowingly vile--comic timing. Irresistibly offensive.

From Booklist

Mosley's family connection to Mitford (she is married to Mitford's nephew) provided access to voluminous correspondence that led to a previous collection of the novelist's letters. This volume, entirely devoted to the exchange of correspondence between two celebrated members of Britain's literati, spans the years 1944 through 1966 and chronicles the great friendship between Waugh, author of, among other books, Brideshead Revisited, and Mitford, who wrote The Sun King and other books. Snippy in their repartee, Mitford and Waugh consistently entertain each other. Without a doubt, they will also entertain readers interested in vicariously stepping back in time to connect with writers, artists, and political figures, such as Graham Greene, Cecil Beaton, and Randolph Churchill. Witnessing the circle of well-known acquaintances that crossed the paths of these two lively, provocative, and intimately connected minds provides endlessly fascinating material for reflection. Alice Joyce

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 527 pages
• Publisher: Houghton Mifflin (March 26, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0395740150
• ISBN-13: 978-0395740156
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.4 x 1.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #633,850 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicious with a dash of malice, July 27, 1997

By A Customer

This review is from: The Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh (Hardcover)

Poor Evelyn (talented, grumpy, constantly worrying about money) writes to lovely Nancy (talented, cheerful, constantly worrying about her Colonel) about real or imagined slights. Nancy charmingly takes him down a few notches when he deserves it (sometimes he's a bit of a bully). It is a joy to read the letters, even the squabbles (but especially the gossip - I'll never think of Graham Greene in quite the same way again). The comfort of old friends. How I shrieked!! (as Nancy would say)

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Cat Claws at Ten Paces, March 9, 2009

By 

Sye Sye (Perth, Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh (Paperback)

Evelyn to Nancy 12 Nov 1944:
'In the hope of keeping him quiet for a few hours Freddy & I have bet Randolph [Churchill] 20 pounds that he cannot read the whole Bible in a fortnight. It would have been worth it at the price. Unhappily it has not had the result we hoped. He has never read any of it before and is hideously excited; keeps reading quotations aloud or merely slapping his side and chortling "God, isn't God a s##t". '

What more can you say about such giant personalities? These letters can be catty, wildly funny, and rarely boring. A combined conversational autobiography.

If you enjoy any of either of these writer's work or their personality do not hesitate to buy this book at any price!

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Masterpiece! Do Admit!, December 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The Letters of Nancy Mitford and Evelyn Waugh (Hardcover)

Once again Ms. Mosley has submitted for public consumption a fascinating collection. The letters that flew back and forth between these two literary giants are sparkling, witty, nasty and fabulous. They shed light on a glorious world of nobility and debauchery. Their correspondence fixes in my mind the fact that Nancy Mitford is the greatest mind of this century. Genius! Sheer genius!

Brava, Ms. Mosley, brava!