ThisvolumeispartoftheCompleteWorksofEvelynWaughcriticaledition,whichbringstogetherallWaugh’spublishedandpreviouslyunpublishedwritingsforthefirsttimewithcomprehensiveintroductionsandannotation,andafullaccountofeachtext’smanuscriptdevelopmentandtextualvariants.Theedition’sGeneralEditorisAlexanderWaugh,EvelynWaugh’sgrandsonandeditorofthetwelve-volumePersonalWritingssequence.EvelynWaughoriginallywrotehisEdmundCampiontothankMartinD’Arcy,SJ,andtohelpwiththebuildingofCampionHall,buthisexperienceofCommunistoppressioninMexicoandCroatiatransformedhisunderstandingofCampion’slife,revealingCampionlessasanElizabethanmartyrthanaspartof’theunendingwar’betweenthechurchandthetotalitarianstate.Waughwroteapassionatenew’Preface’fortheAmericaneditionof1946andmadeimportantchangestoeachofthethreesubsequenteditions,culminatinginthebeautifulthirdeditionof1961.Thisneweditionprovidesextensivebiographicalandcontextualnotestohelpthereaderunfamiliarwithearlymodernhistoryandrecordsthemanymanuscriptrevisionsandthebook’sreceptionbothsidesoftheAtlantic.TheintroductionexploresthepersonalimpactofWaugh’sfriendshipwiththeAsquithandHerbertfamiliesandexaminestheculturalcontextofabriefperiodofconfidenceforEnglishCatholicism,energizedbythecanonizationprocess(inwhichWaugh’sowndaughterswereinvolved),whichcoincidedwiththepublicationofthefiveeditionsofthebookfrom1935to1961.WaughreceivedtheHawthorndenPrizeforthebookjustbeforehetookpartintheopeningofCampionHall;thebookofferedhimaJesuithearthinthe’householdofthefaith’andgaveanewtheologicaldirectiontohiswriting,characterizedbyBridesheadRevisited,Helena,TheSwordofHonourtrilogy,andRonaldKnox.Thebookemergesasoneofthebestobjetsd’Arcy,whichWaughcontinuedtogivetofriendstillhisdeath.
HELENA EVELYN WORKS SJ COMPLETE
