A Zany Read! (Black Mischief - Evelyn Waugh)

Member Name: MurphEE

Product:	Black Mischief - Evelyn Waugh
Date:	23/07/02 (197 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Plot and humour.

Disadvantages: A little dated attitude wise but it is a classic.

‘We are Progress and the New Age.
Nothing can stand in our way.’


These are the words of Emperor Seth of Azania. He is Oxford educated and newly returned to his homeland. He has seen the ways of the West and wants to bring such civilised manners to his own people. His people are ill informed and unruly and the country is in a state of flux. A young Englishman comes to Azania in search of adventure and is appointed as Minister of Modernisation. Basil Seal must try to convert the Emperors will in actual change in the land. He has a struggle in front of him.


Black Mischief is written by Evelyn Waugh and was his third novel when first published in 1932. Waugh was born in Hampstead in 1903 and was the son of Arthur Waugh a publisher and literary critic. His brother Alec was also a writer. Waugh was educated at Oxford and went on to travel extensively and wrote many travel books. His most famous works are probably Brideshead Revisited and Men at Arms. He also served in the marines and the horse guards before settling in the West Country with his wife to raise their six children. He died in 1966.


This particular work is a comic novel set in a fictional country off the East coast of Africa off Somalia or Italian Somaliland, as it was then known. As the novel was written in the 1930s it does have some language and references that have no place in writing today. In the main they involve the depiction of the local people but you have to excuse this and hope that we now live in more enlightened times.


Azania is the first native monarchy in Africa and as such wants to set high standards for the other countries to aspire to. They already have a railway, which connects the capital Debra Dowa to the main coastal town of Matodi. Emperor Seth is embroiled in a war with his uncle, Prince Seyid for the throne. Azania has had a history of conflict between the royal family and the various tribes that make up the empir
e.


Against this backdrop Seth is adamant that he will modernise the empire and rule for many happy years. The country is full of strife from the warring tribes to the warring diplomats who attend the court. Most European nations are represented in Azania and are each plotting against the other. What you have is a convoluted web of intrigue that Basil Seal finds himself attempting to unravel.


Basil is a bit of a layabout who is bored with London and is seeking challenges abroad. He is in debt back home and needs to get away from England for a spell to allow things to cool down. On arrival in Azania he looks up his old college friend Seth, they were both at Oxford. He is appointed Minister of Modernisation and soon finds that it could be a poisoned chalice. He must tread a careful path through Azanian society.


Waugh is a master of the English language and this book is an excellent example of his skill. He also has an eye for characterisation and there are some wonderful rogues in this book. He draws you into Azanian society very quickly and skilfully updates the reader on Azanian history as the story unfolds. It is a very witty novel and a very enjoyable read. The many twists and turns of the plot are easy to keep up with and you do get to engage with the main characters.


I found this particular novel in my local second hand bookshop. It is a Penguin Classics publication which was reprinted in 2000. It cost me €3 or £2 sterling but has a cover price of £7.99. There is no ISBN number on my copy and I have found this to be the case with the Penguin Classics range. You can find out more about this range of books at www.penguinclassics.com


Thank you for reading.
© MurphEE 2002

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