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    Black Mischief
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    Black Mischief
    Unavailable
    Black Mischief
    Audiobook6 hours

    Black Mischief

    Written by Evelyn Waugh

    Narrated by Michael Maloney

    3.5/5

    ()

    Currently unavailable

    Currently unavailable

    About this audiobook

    "We are Progress and the New Age. Nothing can stand in our way." When Oxford-educated Emperor Seth succeeds to the throne of the African state of Azania, he has a tough job on his hands. His subjects are ill-informed and unruly, and corruption, double-dealing, and bloodshed are rife. However, with the aid of Minister of Modernization Basil Seal, Seth plans to introduce his people to the civilized ways of the west-but will it be as simple as that? Profound hilarity ensues from the issuance of homemade currency, the staging of a "Birth Control Gala," the rightful ruler's demise at his own rather long and tiring coronation ceremonies, and a good deal more mischief.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHachette Audio
    Release dateDec 11, 2012
    ISBN9781619693876
    Unavailable
    Black Mischief
    Author

    Evelyn Waugh

    Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) estudió historia moderna en Oxford, donde llevó, según sus palabras, una vida de "pereza, disolución y derroche". Publicó en 1928 su primera novela, "Cuerpos viles", "¡Noticia bomba!" y "Merienda de negros", publicadas en esta colección, que le establecieron como el novelista cómico inglés más considerabe desde Dickens. Después de la Segunda Guerra Mundial, el influjo de su conversión al catolicismose hizo muy acusado; destacan entre las obras de dicho periodo "Retorno a Brideshead", la trilogía "La espada del honor" y también "Los seres queridos", en la que regresó a la veta satírica de sus primeras novelas.

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    Reviews for Black Mischief

    3.5/5

    192 ratings11 reviews

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    • 5/5
      This book is not considered politically correct these days, because of the way the African population of the fictional nation of Azania is portrayed. In fact, they get off pretty lightly compared to the Europeans. Waugh is superb when he is satirizing the upper classes, as with the British legation in Black Mischief.Not for the first time with Waugh, I found the ending a bit disappointing. However, that is easily made up for by the many laughs this book served up along the way. Very, very funny.
    • 3/5
      Not as entertaining as Decline and Fall or Vile Bodies and also a little racist.
    • 4/5
      Very funny. Big caveat with this one is the racism - Waugh is unabashedly racist, and the terminology he uses, while presumably common in 1932, grates pretty heavily now. That said, while none of the characters comes out of the book with any credit, it's the westerners who come off by far worst, both in manipulating the country for their own ends and in being the source of the forced modernity that is such a disaster. Really, Waugh just didn't like anyone...
    • 4/5
      Another comical novel by Waugh, with similar humour to Decline and Fall, but a bit more focused on the satire. This novel will provide substantial relief to those stuggling to bear the current climate of political correctness. He writes things that modern authors would not dare to say, which is a reflection more of the current state of society than of its writers. Waugh wrote this book after a trip into Africa, and it is at least partly based on his experiences. He describes things as he found them, bluntly, but polished to be entertaining. If what he writes is funny, then it is funny because there is truth in it, even if it is not wholly accurate.I would have enjoyed the story more if it was a bit longer, and if it was resolved in a better manner, but this is no reason to be put off reading this.
    • 2/5
      This is an odd little book, and definitely my least-favorite Waugh novel. It's a satire of post-colonial Africa--Waugh invents an African country called "Azania" and populates it with various native tribes, Indian immigrants, and British and French diplomats. He pokes fun at all of them equally, but all according to stereotype (the natives are primitive, the immigrants greedy, the French suspicious, and the English clueless). He then introduces Basil Seal, an English dilettante, who manuevers himself into a position as the minister of modernization. The book contains decidedly racist material, and while in some places that is clearly part of the satire of the opinions of the diplomats, in other places it's possible that those are Waugh's own views. There are some funny moments, but on the whole, my biggest problem with the book is that it was boring. It's all about the satire and not so much about the plot, which is fine for ~100 pages or so, but then the reader needs something else to keep going. There is a funny twist at the end, though.
    • 4/5
      Waugh's bored aristocratic protagonist, one Basil Seal, bullies and blunders his way into the de facto prime ministership of the fictitious African nation of Anzania. Black Mischief is funny, but tiptoes a fine line between acerbity and bitterness, with the latter winning out in the end. If you're new to Waugh, I'd start almost anywhere else in his work.
    • 4/5
      An early work (1938) about an independent African country by an English novelist. A very funny, politically incorrect, satirical assessment -- in fictional form -- of the prospects for African countries post-colonialism. Given the disappointing history of many post-independence African states, with widespread political corruption and frequent dictatorships and military coups, it's not so easy to dismiss Waugh's sarcastic pessimism. It's also true that he regards the European imperialists and colonialists as haplessly inept as well. Some will -- and have -- seen his perspective as racist. It is perhaps more accurate to recognize his general misanthropy.(Recommended to read after this: John Updike's The Coup.)
    • 4/5
      If you find this book racist then you either haven't actually read it or don't understand satire. While the Africans are portrayed as barbaric the Europeans are all upper class and thus descendant from equally barbaric people a few hundred years previously. That said there are other Waugh satirical novels that are better.
    • 5/5
      While some may find this satire not 'pc', I found it hilarious1
    • 4/5
      I'm a bit torn on this book, not sure what to think of the racial issues, whether he was really writing so negatively about the Africans or not. In either case, he was satirizing the British (and other European) upper class without doubt, far more so, and did it rather amusingly. I laughed a fair bit reading the absurdities going on in this novel, and it definitely made me want to read more Waugh.
    • 3/5
      This is a moderately entertaining comical farce written by early 20th century British writer Evelyn Waugh. Its centerpiece is a fictional island off the eastern coast of Africa near Somalia named Azania. This fictional island contains two local tribes as well as a collection of Arab merchants and European functionaries. The island has been united under the rule of a local tribesman who has sent his son to study at Oxford. The patriarch dies, as does his sole surviving legitimate heir, a daughter. The daughter’s husband seeks to assume control of the country, but the Oxford educated son returns and engages the country in a civil war, assisted by an English colonel who heads up his army.Ultimately, the grandson, Seth, prevails and has as his goal the advancement and modernization of his country. Unfortunately, he is hopelessly idealistic, completely unrealistic, and ultimately childlike and devoid of any shred of common sense. He is surrounded by opportunistic Europeans and local nobility who are no better than savages.The entire book is little more than an indictment of both the local inhabitants (portrayed as hopelessly corrupt and stupid) and the colonial forces who seek to profit from their corruption and stupidity. While there are moments of amusement, it actually becomes quite tiresome after about a hundred pages. There is actually not much to recommend it.