Complete Works Of Evelyn Waugh The Ordeal Of Gilbert Pinfold A Conversation Piece

A successful, middle-aged novelist with a case of 'bad nerves,' Gilbert Pinfold embarks on a recuperative trip to Ceylon. Almost as soon as the gangplank lifts, Pinfold hears sounds coming out of the ceiling of his cabin: wild jazz bands, barking dogs, loud revival meetings. He can only infer that somewhere concealed in his room an erratic public-address system is letting him hear everything that goes on aboard ship. And then, instead of just sounds, he hears voices. But they are not just any voices. These voices are talking, in the most frightening intimate way, about him!

This volume is part of the Complete Works of Evelyn Waugh critical edition, which brings together all Waugh's published and previously unpublished writings for the first time with comprehensive introductions and annotation, and a full account of each text's manuscript development and textual variants. The edition's General Editor is Alexander Waugh, Evelyn Waugh's grandson and editor of the twelve-volume Personal Writings sequence. In winter 1954, Evelyn Waugh took a voyage to Sri Lanka to escape the English cold and recover his ailing health. Visibly unwell when he boarded ship, once at sea he began suffering auditory hallucinations that pursued him through his 'holiday' and back on to an early flight home. He then fictionalized his experiences as The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold. This curious novel has baffled and intrigued critics ever since its first publication in 1957 and is now presented in a full critical edition. This new volume charts the creation and publication of the novel and examines its cultural and literary significance, noting every textual change and revision from manuscript to the last edition to be published in Evelyn Waugh's lifetime. It has a comprehensive appendix of contextual notes and an extensive scholarly introduction covering all aspects of the history of this text and its place in cultural and literary history. It draws on newly discovered material, including Waugh's engagement diaries, to tell the story behind the narrative and explain how fantasy and painful reality intertwine in this highly biographical work of fiction.

Where can an author go to find peace and quiet?Gilbert Pinfold is, by all accounts, an accomplished man. He distinguished himself serving in the war, and then in peace as a novelist. He has travelled widely and has a successful marriage.But age is wearing on Gilbert Pinfold, and the combination of regular sedation and chronic drinking aren't helping. After an unpleasant interview with the BBC, he decides to take a cruise to refresh himself.The idea is good, but when he starts hearing voices on the ship, things get worse very quickly.

Based on a true episode, this sharply comic novel, and Waugh's own biography are entangled in a richly fascinating way. The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold A ConversationPiece recounts a period of mental confusion and breakdown in the life of Gilbert Pinfold, an established novelist of mature years. Prone to moments of paranoia and memory-loss, he attempts to cure himself by going on a cruise to the tropics. But an active imagination means peace of mind becomes an increasingly illusory destination."

Regarded by many as the greatest satirical novelist of his day, Evelyn Waugh penned witty, highly wrought and precisely written novels. His most famous works include the early satires ‘Decline and Fall’ and ‘A Handful of Dust’, the beloved novel ‘Brideshead Revisited’ and the Second World War trilogy ‘Sword of Honour’. Today Waugh is celebrated as one of the twentieth century’s great prose stylists. For the first time in publishing history, this eBook presents Waugh’s complete fictional works, with numerous illustrations, informative introductions and the usual Delphi bonus material. (Version 2) * Beautifully illustrated with images relating to Waugh’s life and works * Concise introductions to the novels and other texts * All 13 novels, with individual contents tables * Images of how the books were first published, giving your eReader a taste of the original texts * Excellent formatting of the texts * Early works such as ‘Decline and Fall’ are fully illustrated with Waugh’s original artwork * The complete published short stories * Special chronological and alphabetical contents tables for the short stories * Easily locate the short stories you want to read * Includes Waugh’s only autobiography, ‘A Little Learning’ * Special criticism section, with Rose Macaulay’s essay evaluating Waugh’s contribution to literature * Scholarly ordering of texts into chronological order and literary genres * UPDATED with the original versions of the Sword of Honour trilogy of novels: 'Men at Arms', 'Officers and Gentlemen' and 'Unconditional Surrender' Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles CONTENTS: Sword of Honour Trilogy The Novels Decline and Fall Vile Bodies Black Mischief A Handful of Dust Scoop Put Out More Flags Brideshead Revisited The Loved One Helena Men at Arms Officers and Gentlemen The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold Unconditional Surrender The Sword of Honour The Short Stories The Short Stories of Evelyn Waugh List of Short Stories in Alphabetical Order The Autobiography A Little Learning The Criticism Evelyn Waugh by Rose Macaulay Please visit www.delphiclassics.com to browse through our range of exciting titles or to purchase this eBook as a Parts Edition of individual eBooks