Alec Waugh

The Loom of Youth (Dodo Press) Alec Waugh

Alexander Raban Waugh (Alec Waugh) (1898-1981), was a British novelist, the elder brother of the better-known Evelyn Waugh. Waugh was born in London, and educated at Sherborne School, a public school in Dorset. The result of his experiences was his first, semi-autobiographical novel, The Loom of Youth (1917), which harked back to his schooldays. This book was seen as so controversial at the time (it openly portrayed the homosexual passions between the boys) that he remains the only former pupil to be expelled from the old boys society (The Old Shirburnian Society). He was the author of In Praise of Wine & Certain Noble Spirits (1959), an amusing and discursive guide to the major wine types, and Wines and Spirits, a 1968 book in the Time-Life series Foods of the World. This was not a stretch as he was a noted connoisseur. Waugh also has a footnote in the history of reggae music. Amongst his other works are: Resentment (1918), The Prisoners of Mainz (1919), Pleasure (1921), The Lonely Unicorn (1922), Hot Countries (1948) and Island in the Sun (1955) which was made into a popular film.