Auberon Waugh
Auberon Waugh | |
|---|---|
| Born | Auberon Alexander Waugh 17 November 1939 Pixton Park, near Dulverton, Somerset, England |
| Died | 16 January 2001 (aged 61) Combe Florey House, Somerset, England |
| Other names | Bron |
| Occupation(s) | Journalist, novelist |
| Years active | 1960–2000 |
| Known for | Journalism for The Daily Telegraph, Private Eye; novelist; literary editor of Literary Review |
Auberon Alexander Waugh (; 17 November 1939 – 16 January 2001) was a distinguished British journalist and novelist, recognized as the eldest son of the renowned writer Evelyn Waugh. Known familiarly as "Bron," he embarked on his journalism journey at the age of twenty with the Telegraph Media Group, contributing to various outlets including Private Eye. His work combined conservative Tory perspectives with a defiant edge. Although he published five acclaimed novels early in his career, he eventually ceased writing fiction to avoid unfavorable comparisons with his father’s legacy.
Educated at Downside School, Waugh completed his National Service in the army, during which he sustained a serious gunshot wound. Subsequently, he spent a year studying at Oxford University. He and his wife, Lady Teresa, raised four children and resided at Combe Florey House in Somerset—the former home of his father.
Origins
Waugh was born at Pixton Park, near Dulverton in Somerset, as the eldest child of Evelyn Waugh and Laura Herbert. His heritage was steeped in literary and aristocratic tradition, descending from figures such as publisher Arthur Waugh (his grandfather) and novelist Alec Waugh (his uncle). His mother, Laura Herbert, hailed from a distinguished Conservative family connected to the Earls of Carnarvon and notable personalities like Egyptologist George Herbert, 5th Earl of Carnarvon. He was named after his maternal uncle Auberon Herbert (1922–1974), a landowner and advocate for Eastern Europe after World War II, and was commonly called "Bron."
Early life
Born at the start of World War II, Waugh had limited contact with his father until he was five years old. Raised within a Roman Catholic household, he attended the Benedictine Downside School in Somerset and successfully passed his Greek and Latin A-level examinations by age fifteen. He began studying philosophy, politics, and economics at Christ Church, Oxford, where he received an exhibition in English; however, after being rusticated, he did not return to complete his studies, opting instead to pursue journalism early on.
Career
During his National Service, Waugh was commissioned into the Royal Horse Guards and served in Cyprus. He endured severe injuries from a machine gun accident that led to the removal of his spleen, lung, several ribs, and a finger—resulting in chronic pain and recurring infections. While recuperating in Italy, he commenced writing his debut novel, The Foxglove Saga.
Journalism
Waugh began as a junior reporter on the social pages of The Daily Telegraph in 1960. As a political columnist for The Spectator, he was critical of Harold Wilson’s administration during the Biafran War, accusing it of using starvation as a political weapon. After being dismissed in 1970, he won an unfair dismissal lawsuit with assistance from Bernard Levin.
He was an outspoken critic of reforms introduced by the Second Vatican Council and frequently challenged leading church figures such as Archbishops Basil Hume and Derek Worlock. His contributions appeared in numerous publications including the New Statesman, British Medicine, Daily Mirror, Daily Mail, Evening Standard, and The Independent.
Between 1981 and 1990, Waugh penned a leader-page column for The Sunday Telegraph. In 1990, he took over from Michael Wharton as author of the prominent Way of the World column for The Daily Telegraph, writing it three times weekly until 2000. After concluding his long association with The Spectator in 1995, he returned to The Sunday Telegraph in 1996 as a weekly columnist until shortly before his passing.
Private Eye
Waugh became widely recognized for his diary column in Private Eye, which he contributed to from the early 1970s until 1985. He described this column as being "specifically dedicated to telling lies." His critiques were particularly sharp towards the Labour government of the 1970s, with a special focus on education secretary Shirley Williams and her advocacy for comprehensive education. In his autobiography Will This Do?, Waugh recounted celebrating her parliamentary defeat in 1979 by smashing two bottles of wine.
During the 1979 general election, Waugh ran as a candidate opposing former Liberal leader Jeremy Thorpe, who was embroiled in a conspiracy to murder trial—a scandal that Waugh played a role in exposing. Representing the Dog Lovers' Party in North Devon, Waugh's campaign materials were legally contested by Thorpe but subsequently published by The Spectator and The Guardian. Although Waugh secured only 79 votes, Thorpe ultimately lost his parliamentary seat. Waugh departed from Private Eye in 1986 following the appointment of Ian Hislop as editor.
Waugh's views
Waugh maintained a firm small-c conservative position, strongly opposing progressive social movements and what he termed "do-gooders." After his death, left-wing journalist Polly Toynbee criticized his outlook, whereas commentators such as Francis Wheen defended the nuances of his perspectives.
He harbored a pronounced disdain for poet Ezra Pound, dismissing Pound’s work as "boring filth" and ridiculing him during his imprisonment. Initially an admirer of Margaret Thatcher, by 1983 Waugh had turned against her economic policies and became an outspoken critic, particularly after Thatcher clashed with his friend and Sunday Telegraph editor Peregrine Worsthorne. His antipathy towards Thatcher was further fueled by her association with The Sunday Times editor Andrew Neil, whom Waugh deeply disliked.
Despite his conservative tendencies, Waugh was an advocate for European integration and supported the introduction of the single currency, viewing these as mechanisms to diminish American dominance over Britain. He owned property in France and humorously favored governance described as a "junta of Belgian ticket inspectors." He opposed capital punishment and criticized police campaigns against drink-driving, labeling them as "police terror." Additionally, he resisted anti-smoking laws and Labour’s efforts to outlaw fox hunting.
In 1995, Waugh joined opposition to Home Secretary Michael Howard's plan for a national identity card, siding with Labour critics at that time. Together with Patrick Marnham and Richard West, he signed a letter advocating for a British memorial dedicated to those repatriated following the Yalta Conference, which was established in 1986.
Waugh sparked controversy by minimizing the health risks associated with smoking and alcohol consumption while warning about "hamburger gases" as significant pollutants and mentioning "passive hamburger eating." He also claimed that computer games could induce cancer-like symptoms. The UK Tobacco Advisory Council sought his support for a pro-smoking publication; although he declined to write it himself, he provided a foreword condemning anti-smoking campaigners as "new control terrorists" and was photographed publicly smoking a cigarette.
Family
In 1961, Auberon Waugh wed Lady Teresa Onslow, the daughter of the 6th Earl of Onslow. Together, they had four children:
- Margaret Sophia Laura Waugh (born 1962)
- Alexander Evelyn Michael Waugh (1963–2024)
- Daisy Louisa Dominica Waugh (born 1967)
- Nathaniel Thomas Biafra Waugh (born 1968)
From 1964 until 1971, the family resided at the Old Rectory in Chilton Foliat, Wiltshire, before relocating to Combe Florey House in Somerset, which had previously been the home of Waugh's father.
Literary career
Before ceasing to write fiction, Waugh published five novels, a decision influenced by modest financial returns from public lending rights and unavoidable comparisons with his father’s work. His novels are:
- The Foxglove Saga (1960)
- Path of Dalliance (1963)
- Who Are The Violets Now? (1965)
- Consider the Lilies (1968)
- A Bed of Flowers (1972)
He also produced works on significant contemporary issues, including The Last Word about the Thorpe case and Biafra: Britain's Shame, co-authored with Suzanne Cronje. During the 1970s, he contributed to several Associated TeleVision programmes.
His 1986 publication, Another Voice – An Alternative Anatomy of Britain, garnered positive critical attention. From that year until his passing, he served as editor of the Literary Review, where he championed authentic poetry and established the Bad Sex Award aimed at highlighting poorly written sexual scenes in novels.
Two volumes compiling his diaries from Private Eye were released: Four Crowded Years: The Diaries of Auberon Waugh 1972–1976 and A Turbulent Decade: The Diaries of Auberon Waugh 1976–1985. In 1991, he participated in the Thames TV documentary titled Waugh Memorial.
Waugh expressed opinions on various subjects; for example, in a 1991 article for the Literary Review, he remarked on his skepticism toward dowsing despite having a well drilled through solid rock based solely on a dowser’s guidance.
Death
In his final months, Waugh experienced deteriorating health and passed away from heart failure at Combe Florey House on 16 January 2001 at the age of 61. He was laid to rest in the churchyard of St Peter & St Paul in Combe Florey.
External links
- Auberon Waugh dies and Auberon Waugh: Biting wit, BBC News, 17 January 2001
- Obituary, The Guardian, 17 January 2001
- Obituary, The Daily Telegraph