The volume of memoirs of the famous English satirist Evelyn Waugh (1902–1966) includes his memories of childhood and youth - “The Dropout”, as well as travel essays “Tourist in Africa”. Waugh, the son of a famous publisher and writer, gravitated towards art from his youth - he was a brilliant draftsman, a witty, observant journalist, but after graduating from Oxford he realized that his true calling was the profession of a writer. The author of “Vile Flesh”, “Decline and Destruction”, “Unforgettable” was one of the most popular satirists of his time, a successor to the traditions of Swift and Thackeray.

In “The Dropout” he recalls his childhood and youth, recreating the picture the way of English society at the beginning of the last century, the morals of private schools and Oxford, which he did not graduate from and went to teach in a provincial town. He also writes about his colleagues Graham Greene, David Herbert Lawrence, Gilbert Keith Chesterton and other prominent personalities. Travel for him contemporaries were not just the discovery of new countries and acquaintance with the culture of the peoples who inhabited them - it was an attempt to rethink the missionary policy of the “white man,” who believed that he was saving the barbarians by imposing on them his laws, religion, and way of life. Evelyn Waugh visited Africa several times - first as a journalist, then simply “to escape melancholy and depression,” but in every description of his trip the tenacious, sharp gaze of a biased observer was evident. No wonder the “African novels” “Black Misfortune” and “Sensation” were warmly received by the reader.

Evelyn Waugh. A Little Learning. A Tourist in Africa. Translation from English by V. G. Minushin. Artist Evgeny Velchinsky.