Paula Byrne and Alex Preston Interviewed by Justine Picardie

Novelist Alex Preston and biographer Dr Paula Byrne talk about the life and loves of Evelyn Waugh that were at one time played out on the pages of Harper’s Bazaar magazine.

Preston, a novelist and writer for Harper’s Bazaar, recently researched the magazine’s archives to explore the story of Waugh, his wife, Evelyn Gardner, and her lover, John Heygate, all of whom were writing for Harper’s Bazaar. Waugh’s work was serialised in Harper’s Bazaar, notably A Flat in London, which ultimately became the classic novel, A Handful of Dust. Biographer Paula Byrne’s book, Mad World: Evelyn Waugh and the Secrets of Brideshead, looks at how the writer’s famous novel was inspired by his own experiences, loves and obsessions.

Preston is an award-winning novelist including of In Love and War. He writes for The Observer, GQ, Harper’s Bazaar and Town & Country Magazine, and is a senior lecturer in creative writing at the University of Kent.

Byrne is author of a number of biographical works including The Genius of Jane Austen: Why She is a Hit in Hollywood; and Kick: The True Story of JFK’s Forgotten Sister and the Heir to Chatsworth.

Here they talk to Harper’s Bazaar editor-in-chief Justine Picardie, author of four books including a memoir, If The Spirit Moves You, a biography of Coco Chanel, and Daphne: A Novel.

This event is one of a series devoted to writers past and present associated with Harper’s Bazaar to mark the 150th anniversary of the magazine.

Biography & Memoir