In 1984, Anthony Burgess published Ninety-Nine Novels, a selection of his favourite novels in English since 1939. The list is typically idiosyncratic, and shows the breadth of Burgess's interest in fiction. This podcast, by the International Anthony Burgess Foundation, explores the novels on Burgess's list with the help of writers, critics and other special guests.

In this episode, Andrew Biswell heads back to the era of the Bright Young Things to examine Evelyn Waugh’s Brideshead Revisited with writer, academic and editor Barbara Cooke.

Brideshead Revisited is perhaps Evelyn Waugh’s most famous novel. It follows Ryder as he remembers his life, from his undergraduate years at the University of Oxford in the golden age before the Second World War, to his wartime enlistment in the army. His life is coloured by his obsession with the Flytes, an aristocratic Catholic family who live in the stately home of Brideshead. In Ninety-Nine Novels, Burgess writes, ‘I have read Brideshead Revisited at least a dozen times and have never failed to be charmed and moved, even to tears.’

Evelyn Waugh was born in 1903. At the age of 24, he published his first book, a biography of the artist Dante Gabriel Rossetti, and the following year he published his first novel, Decline and Fall. Sixteen more novels followed, including A Handful of Dust, Scoop and Vile Bodies. His last novels were the Sword of Honour trilogy, which were published in 1965. He died in 1966.

Barbara Cooke is a Senior Lecturer in English at Loughborough University. She is also Co-Executive Editor of the Complete Works of Evelyn Waugh, published by Oxford University Press, a series which brings together all of Waugh’s published and previously unpublished writing with comprehensive introductions, contextual writing and annotations. She is the author of Evelyn Waugh’s Oxford, published by The Bodleian Library, and has recently written the introduction to Penguin’s new edition of Decline and Fall.

-----

BOOKS MENTIONED IN THIS EPISODE

By Evelyn Waugh:

Decline and Fall (1928)
Vile Bodies (1930)
A Handful of Dust (1934)
Helena (1950)
The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold (1957)
A Little Learning (1957)

By others:

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll (1865)
Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers (1935)
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (1948)
Crooked House by Agatha Christie (1949)
A Grain of Wheat by Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o (1967)
Ruling Passions by Tom Driberg (1977)
Evelyn Waugh (Two Volumes: The Early Years 1903-1939 and The Later Years 1939-1966) by Martin Stannard (1989-94)

-----

LINKS

Evelyn Waugh's Oxford by Barbara Cooke (affiliate link): https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Evelyn-Waughs-Oxford-by-Barbara-Cooke-author-Amy-Dodd-illustrator/9781851244874?a_aid=BurgessFoundation

The Complete Works of Evelyn Waugh at Oxford University Press: https://global.oup.com/academic/content/series/c/complete-works-of-evelyn-waugh-cwevw/?cc=gb&lang=en&

International Anthony Burgess Foundation: https://www.anthonyburgess.org

The theme music is Anthony Burgess’s Concerto for Flute, Strings and Piano in D Minor, and is performed by No Dice Collective: https://nodicecollective.com

-----

If you’ve enjoyed this episode, why not leave us a review and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts.

Ninety-Nine Novels: Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Read by the author.

The Bible tells us to pray continually and without ceasing, but what happens when we're waiting for God but discover He's waiting for us? In his first book, pastor and recording artist Travis Greene guides the listener to apply Biblical truths for a fulfilled life.

Praying and waiting for God to answer can be confusing. When something—or everything—feels stuck because God doesn't seem to be answering our prayers, what next? Pastor and Grammy-nominated recording artist Travis Greene issues a challenge and asks us to examine our prayers—Are we praying for the right thing? Are we planning and preparing for what we've asked for? Are we praying for our will to grow closer to His? Or do we sometimes treat him like a genie in a bottle? Using Biblical examples, Travis invites listeners to reconsider our prayers and

navigate beyond feeling trapped to thriving in God’s purposes;
learn to use what's left instead of focusing on what was lost;
be willing to forgive, wait, and work as God allows; and
believe in God's miracles while being a faithful steward of what He has already provided.

Sometimes what happens next depends on the choices made right now. And sometimes God has something else in mind for us—something we might never have imagined, or in a way we might not have imagined it! It's possible to press forward into a life filled with joy and expectation for the future! Like the widow who used the oil she had at hand, by using what God has already supplied, Travis encourages listeners that they may be closer to enjoying God's promises than they realize. Management can be a magnet for miracles.

Are You Praying for the Wrong Thing?: Learning to Ask What God Wants for You, Not Just What You Want

ARE YOU PRAYING FOR THE WRONG THING? | Introduction

Now that Nora is not dead, only one question remains: What does she want to do with her life?

Nora November is alive—but she wasn’t always. She was once clinically dead, having spent several minutes under water after a terrible surfing accident she doesn’t remember. What she does remember from her time in a coma is her grandfather, who passed away over a year ago. And a beautiful garden. And the most delicious tomato she ever tasted.

Now that she’s awake again her life has been cleaved in two. In the Before, Nora lived like a ghost, drowning under the weight of her parents’ expectations. In the After, she’s determined to accomplish the things she left undone before she died. Her reverse bucket list is simple: She wants to learn to cook and to be a better older sister to Lacey. She wants to quit her terrible job as a personal injury lawyer at her dad’s firm. She wants to bring Grandpa’s now-neglected garden back to life. And she wants to find the guy she met in a corner store months ago—the one she never called but never stopped thinking about.

As Nora’s attempts at a new life prove disastrous at best, her mission to fulfill her reverse bucket list leads her to a reckoning with the truth she almost hid from herself.

Nice Work, Nora November

NICE WORK, NORA NOVEMBER by Julia London | Chapter 2

NICE WORK, NORA NOVEMBER by Julia London | Chapter 1

From the beloved author of The Thing About Home comes a dual timeline tale of family, grief, secrets, and the sweet redemption that lies within the bonds of sisterhood.

-The Present-

When summoned to Georgetown, South Carolina, sisters Mariah Clark and Sabrina Holland both assume their ailing grandfather's health has gotten worse. Neither expects their grandmother's undeniable request--save the family restaurant.

Mariah is at a crossroad in her life. After being dumped by her husband and forced to walk away from their diner that she helped rescue from bankruptcy, bitter feelings consume her. Even though the restaurant has been in the family for eighty-six years, giving her all to another struggling business isn't something she wants to do.

Living out of her van and striving for a fresh start, Sabrina yearns for stability for herself and her daughter and a chance to turn her baking hustle into a bona-fide business. The family restaurant may be just the blessing she needs--but as old tensions and angry disagreements resurface, Sabrina wonders if her sister will let her have a say.

-The Past-

After falling victim to a love she thought would last a lifetime, Tabitha Cooper finds herself away from home and struggling to survive in Charleston in the early twentieth century. She is determined to turn corn into cornbread and to take care of her children the best way she knows how--by serving food that's good for the soul--and along the way forges a path that leaves a legacy of success for generations to come.

Through letters that reveal Tabitha's complicated past, the sisters discover truths that just might be the right recipe to mend their hearts--if they can find a way to savor the blessing of today and leave the bitter aftertaste of old memories behind them.

Bitter and Sweet

BITTER AND SWEET by Rhonda McKnight | Chapter 2

BITTER AND SWEET by Rhonda McKnight | Chapter 1

Jim Orson interviewed by Paul Merchant An Oral History of Farming, Land Management and Conservation in Post-War Britain, British Library, catalogue reference C1828/07/22. © British Library Board.

This clip was played at the National Life Stories symposium 30 June and 1 July 2023 and features in Oral History vol. 52 number 3, 2024 - online special issue.

Transcript:

I remember my father – we had a group of farmers came round to our farm – and he felt ashamed about all the wild flowers in his permanent pasture, particularly buttercups. And, now of course, you know, people value those wildflowers tremendously [...] but in those days it was very much production-orientated agriculture, nobody thought of the value of plants for biodiversity or anything, not at all.  
How did you know that your Dad was ashamed on that occasion? 
He told me. Yes. [laughs] In fact, it was, his comments were in the local paper, the Melton Times. Yes. But – because, this group of people – and my dad said there was far too many – I think he used the word ashamed, that they saw the farm when there were a lot of what were then classified as weeds in the grassland.

Jim Orson on past view of wildflowers as agricultural weeds

Read by the author.

Scott Morrison, Australia's 30th Prime Minister (2018-2022), offers a unique insider's account of a Christian who was open about his faith and operated at the top level of politics for more than a decade. During one of the toughest periods since the second world war, covering drought, wildfires, a global pandemic and recession, he chronicles God's faithfulness throughout, win or lose, public criticism or public success.

Less political memoir and more pastoral encouragement, Morrison is passionate about encouraging others to discover how they can access and see the many blessings of God in their own lives, no matter their circumstances, drawing on Jeremiah 29:11, that God's plans are for our good and not our harm, to give us a future and a hope. In each section Morrison asks the questions all of us are looking to find answers to:

Who am I? Discovering your purpose.
How should I live? Finding your pathway.
What should I hope for? Embracing your future.

Full of fascinating insights into the handling of some of the most significant global events and issues of our time Morrison's honest, vulnerable and reflective answers offers a unique lens to better understand your relationship with God and the blessing that can flow from such a relationship.

Alongside an account of high-level politics in a new media age where cancel culture, identity politics, and deep secularization is taking hold across so many western societies, creating a truly post Christian west, Morrison testifies to the faithful love and blessings of God.

Plans for Your Good

PLANS FOR YOUR GOOD by Scott Morrison | Chapter One

The International Anthony Burgess Foundation Podcast explores the life and work of Anthony Burgess, most famous for writing A Clockwork Orange. We talk to writers, literature experts, and other people who met Burgess in various contexts. We also help illuminate Burgess's work through informative scripted episodes.

Ninety-Nine Novels: Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh

Burgess Foundation

Related tracks