1961.

An unpublished letter written in self-consciously absurd, heavily Anglicised French from Evelyn Waugh to Christopher Sykes. One side of Combe Florey House letter paper (single foolscap sheet, approx. 200 words in total), addressed "Cher Beau Laid", signed with the soubriquet "Welenski", and dated 1961 in Sykes's hand in pencil.The letter's first concern is Waugh's 1961 radio essay, produced by Sykes, about P.G. Wodehouse - referenced in the letter by "la glorie de Boismaison". Waugh boldly states "pour cette glorie il faut le réclame, presque vulgarisation, le plus formidable", presumably arguing the imperative of reclaiming and popularising Wodehouse's formidable glory, and boasts about his rate of pay from the BBC for the broadcast, noting "le TSF paye Snooks un livre pour chaque minute. Moi, je receverai cinque." Waugh goes on to request Sykes make a dinner reservation in London for the 16th July, the day after his proposed broadcast.The second part of the letter concerns recommendations made by Sykes's "jeune jolie marie", called in Waugh' letters "PYW" (pretty young wife), for some drawing room chairs. Waugh notifies Sykes that the chairs chosen have arrived at Combe Florey and that while they might be suitable for his wife, "elle est maigre, légere; mais je suis gros". Folded twice, with Sykes's pencil markings.

The genesis of Waugh's Wodehouse broadcast was when he sidled up to Sykes at a luncheon in December 1960 and asked "are you still employed as an electrician at the BBC?", electrician being the occupation, Waugh supposed, of everyone employed in television and radio. That Boxing Day, Evelyn and Laura Waugh went for lunch at the Sykes's home at Donhead St Mary where Sykes confirmed that the BBC's Director General, Sir Hugh Greene (brother of Graham), had given the go ahead for the programme.
That the letter is composed entirely in French is explained by an anecdote, noted by Waugh in his diary and by Sykes in his biography, from this Boxing Day luncheon. Waugh, who was sat next to Sykes's wife, was challenged by her to retell a story he had just recounted about the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Pope in French, to which "with his glaring eyes fixed on me and in his deep voice Evelyn unsmilingly complied." Waugh simply records in his diary that "at luncheon with the Sykeses I felt euphoric and facetiously told a story in my absurd French."
In Waugh's letter to the Sykeses thanking them for their hospitality, he proposes the date of July 15th for the broadcast, if it were "a good day to catch the ear of the populace", explaining his want of a dinner reservation for the following evening. The second part of that letter, is the predecessor for the second part of this - with Waugh noting "Now here is a bit for PYW... It was revealed that you buy furniture processionally. May I engage your services? I want 2 very comfortable drawing-room chairs. Not just fauteuils... but pieces in which corpulent novelists can doze." It appears from this letter than Waugh's size and weight were not taken into consideration by Camilla Sykes when she made her selection.

PROVENANCE: From the estate of Christopher Sykes. One letter of seven housed in an envelope marked "Letters not given to Mr Amory". Mark Amory was the editor of The Letters Of Evelyn Waugh, in which this letter is not published.

Stock ID: 37548

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