Alexander Waugh
Encyclopedia
Alexander Waugh is an English
writer, critic, composer, cartoonist, record producer
and television presenter. He is most known for his biography of Paul Wittgenstein
(The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War) published in 2009.
He is the grandson of Evelyn Waugh
, the eldest son of Auberon Waugh
, and the brother of Daisy Waugh
. He was educated at the University of Manchester
and University of Surrey
where he gained degrees in Music
. Alexander Waugh was the Chief Opera Critic of the Mail on Sunday (1990–91) and of The Evening Standard (1991-1996). His books on music include Classical Music: A New Way of Listening (1995) and Opera: A New Way of Listening (1996). He reviews non-fiction books regularly for the British press and has contributed cartoons to The Literary Review
and The Daily Telegraph
. His books Time (1999) and God (2002) are written in a type of prose that uses irony and wit to impart condensed information. His biography Fathers and Sons (2004) is a portrait of the male relations across five generations in his own family. It was made into 90-minute BBC documentary film in 2005. In 2006 he presented the BBC television documentary "The Piano – A Love Affair". His theatre piece Bon Voyage! (co-written with his brother Nathaniel Waugh) won the 12th Vivian Ellis
Award for Best New Musical.
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
writer, critic, composer, cartoonist, record producer
Record producer
A record producer is an individual working within the music industry, whose job is to oversee and manage the recording of an artist's music...
and television presenter. He is most known for his biography of Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein
Paul Wittgenstein was an Austrian-born concert pianist, who became known for his ability to play with just his left hand, after he lost his right arm during the First World War. He devised novel techniques, including pedal and hand-movement combinations, that allowed him to play chords previously...
(The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War) published in 2009.
He is the grandson of Evelyn Waugh
Evelyn Waugh
Arthur Evelyn St. John Waugh , known as Evelyn Waugh, was an English writer of novels, travel books and biographies. He was also a prolific journalist and reviewer...
, the eldest son of Auberon Waugh
Auberon Waugh
Auberon Alexander Waugh was a British author and journalist, son of the novelist Evelyn Waugh. He was known to his family and friends as Bron Waugh.-Life and career:...
, and the brother of Daisy Waugh
Daisy Waugh
Daisy Louisa Dominica Waugh , known as Daisy Waugh, is an English journalist, travel writer, novelist and television presenter.She has also worked as a restaurant critic and as an agony aunt for The Independent...
. He was educated at the University of Manchester
University of Manchester
The University of Manchester is a public research university located in Manchester, United Kingdom. It is a "red brick" university and a member of the Russell Group of research-intensive British universities and the N8 Group...
and University of Surrey
University of Surrey
The University of Surrey is a university located within the county town of Guildford, Surrey in the South East of England. It received its charter on 9 September 1966, and was previously situated near Battersea Park in south-west London. The institution was known as Battersea College of Technology...
where he gained degrees in Music
Music
Music is an art form whose medium is sound and silence. Its common elements are pitch , rhythm , dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture...
. Alexander Waugh was the Chief Opera Critic of the Mail on Sunday (1990–91) and of The Evening Standard (1991-1996). His books on music include Classical Music: A New Way of Listening (1995) and Opera: A New Way of Listening (1996). He reviews non-fiction books regularly for the British press and has contributed cartoons to The Literary Review
The Literary Review
The Literary Review is an American literary magazine founded in 1957. The quarterly magazine is published internationally by Fairleigh Dickinson University in Madison, New Jersey...
and The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
. His books Time (1999) and God (2002) are written in a type of prose that uses irony and wit to impart condensed information. His biography Fathers and Sons (2004) is a portrait of the male relations across five generations in his own family. It was made into 90-minute BBC documentary film in 2005. In 2006 he presented the BBC television documentary "The Piano – A Love Affair". His theatre piece Bon Voyage! (co-written with his brother Nathaniel Waugh) won the 12th Vivian Ellis
Vivian Ellis
Vivian Ellis was an English musical comedy composer best known for the song "Spread a Little Happiness" and the theme "Coronation Scot".-Life and work:...
Award for Best New Musical.
Books
- Classical Music: A New Way of Listening (De Agostini, 1995; Macmillan, 1995)
- Opera: A New Way of Listening (De Agostini, 1996)
- Time: From Microseconds to Millennia; A Search for the Right Time (Headline 1999; Carroll and Graf 2000)
- God (Headline 2002; St Martin’s Press 2004)
- Fathers and Sons: The Autobiography of a Family (Headline 2004: Nan Talese 2007)
- Reviewed in John BanvilleJohn BanvilleJohn Banville is an Irish novelist and screenwriter.Banville's breakthrough novel The Book of Evidence was shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize, and won the Guinness Peat Aviation award. His eighteenth novel, The Sea, won the Man Booker Prize in 2005. He was awarded the Franz Kafka Prize in 2011...
, "The Family Pinfold," The New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of BooksThe New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
54/11 (28 June 2007): 20–21
- Reviewed in John Banville
- The House of Wittgenstein: A Family at War (Doubleday, 2009)
External links
- Hodder Headline author page
- The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, July 17, 1998, "Light Reading on the 6.15: Alexander Waugh interviewed by Eliza Charlton" - The Waughs — Fathers and Sons
- The Daily TelegraphThe Daily TelegraphThe Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
, September 1, 2004, "Fathers, Sons, Feuds and Myths: Alexander Waugh interviewed by Sam Leith" - The New Yorker review of Fathers and Sons, by Joan Acocella http://www.newyorker.com/arts/critics/books/2007/07/02/070702crbo_books_acocella