A Little Learning

A Little Learning is Evelyn Waugh's elegant and wickedly funny account of his early life, from his birth in 1903 through his time at Oxford in the 1920s. The title, from Alexander Pope's "A little learning is a dangerous thing," reflects Waugh's characteristic wit. This first volume of what was intended to be a multi-volume autobiography was the only one completed before Waugh's death in 1966.

Waugh chronicles his family history, his education at Lancing College and Oxford, and his emergence as a writer. He writes with remarkable candor about his youthful dissipation, his struggles with religion, his disastrous first marriage, and the cultural ferment of Oxford in the 1920s. The prose displays all of Waugh's signature qualities: precision, irony, and an eye for the telling detail.

For readers of Waugh's novels, this autobiography illuminates the experiences that shaped his worldview and provided material for his fiction. It's also a superb portrait of British upper-middle-class life in the early 20th century, written by one of English literature's greatest stylists.

About Evelyn Waugh: Waugh (1903-1966) was one of the most accomplished British novelists of the 20th century. His works include Decline and Fall, A Handful of Dust, Scoop, and his masterpiece, Brideshead Revisited. He was known for his exquisite prose style, savage wit, and conservative Catholicism.