Scoop
Ratings14
Average rating3.6
15
Ratings14
Average rating3.6
One of Evelyn Waugh's most exuberant comedies, Scoop is a brilliantly irreverent satire of Fleet Street and its hectic pursuit of hot news. Lord Copper, newspaper magnate and proprietor of The Daily Beast, has always prided himself on his intuitive flair for spotting ace reporters. That is not to say he has not made the odd blunder, however, and may in a moment of weakness make another. Acting on a dinner party tip from Mrs Algernon Stitch, he feels convinced that he has hit on just the chap to cover a promising little war in the African Republic of Ishmaelia. But for, pale, ineffectual William Boot, editor of the Daily Beast's 'nature notes' column, being mistaken for a competent journalist may prove to be a fatal error... If you enjoyed Scoop, you might like Waugh's Decline and Fall, also available in Penguin Modern Classics. 'Waugh at the mid-season point of his perfect pitch' Christopher Hitchens
Reviews with the most likes.
Not Waugh's best. Certainly no Handful of Dust. Often racist. But still an insightful satire of colonialism, war journalism, and the intersection of the two.
Me while reading: “Didn't expect such a scathing example of the casual bigotry of foreigners towards natives.”
Me after learning a little more about Waugh: “Oh that wasn't the satire part.”
A lot more silly fun than I expected, the fake out in the first chapter sets the tone for the rest of the story. It's definitely of its time but the satirical view of journalism is genuinely hilarious and evergreen.
