«A Handful of Dust» in the Book Market

According to the correspondent of the Iran Book News Agency (IBNA), Evelyn Waugh narrates the collapse of a marital life in this novel. “A Handful of Dust” tells the story of a woman’s tedious life in an aristocratic Neo-Gothic palace; a woman who cannot bear life in a palace her husband boasts about and has no patience for such a life. This marks the beginning of an adventure in which another character also becomes involved.

“A Handful of Dust” is the story of a family’s ruin; the story of a man trapped in his own fantasies and delusions, and a woman who undertakes an act that brings an ominous end for her husband and herself.

The novel is rich in detail and precise descriptions. Evelyn Waugh’s tone in this novel is cold and devoid of judgment.

The original text of “A Handful of Dust” was first published in 1934.

Evelyn Waugh (1903-1966) is considered an important writer in English literature. After graduating from Oxford, he was a teacher for a while and, in his third decade of life, traveled to various parts of the world as a journalist. His most famous work is “Brideshead Revisited”.

In a section of the book, we read: “Life at Hetton had become more energetic but simpler than before, ever since Richard Last inherited the estate. Ambrose remained, but there was no trace of the footmen; Ambrose, a young lad, and four female servants did the housework. Richard Last called them his ‘minimal staff’ – he intended to hire more people when things improved; for now, the dining room and library had also been added to the ‘formal’ parts of the mansion, and their doors were locked and shutters drawn; the family lived in the sitting room and the ‘smoking room’ and the same room that was Tony’s study. Most parts of the kitchen also remained unused; in one of the dining rooms, a modern and inexpensive multi-burner stove had been installed…”

Nashr-e No recently released the novel “A Handful of Dust”, translated by Ebrahim Younesi, in 278 pages.