- Black Mischief
infobox Book |
name = Black Mischief
title_orig =
translator =
image_caption = Jacket of an early limited edition of Black Mischief
author =Evelyn Waugh
illustrator =
cover_artist =
country =United Kingdom
language = English
series =
genre =Comedy
publisher =Chapman and Hall
release_date = 1932
english_release_date =
media_type = Print
pages =
isbn = NA
preceded_by =
followed_by =Black Mischief was
Evelyn Waugh 's thirdnovel .It was first published in 1932. It is still in print, with a recent edition issued in Boston by Back Bay Books in 2002 with ISBN 0-316-91733-8. This now controversial book helped to establish Waugh's reputation as a master satirist.
The novel is predominantly set on the fictional African island of
Azania , located off the coast of present daySomalia , although it is a thinly veiled reference to the then empire of Abyssinia, nowEthiopia . The novel chronicles the efforts of the English educated Emperor Seth, assisted by a fellow Oxford graduate Basil Seal, to modernize his Empire.Plot synopsis
After winning a
civil war against "Prince Seyid," Seth, emperor of the fictional nation of Azania, makes it his goal to "modernise" his country. He recruits Basil Seal, a college friend and heir to an English political family, to preside over the newly established Ministry of Modernization, with the help of Krikor Yokoumian, a successfulArmenian entrepeneur. Unbeknownst to Seth and the Ministry, Monsier Ballon, the Frenchconsul , plans a coup. At a "Birth Control Parade " organized by Seth, Ballon and several religious leaders realize their coup, and install Achon, Seth's senile uncle, as emperor. However, Achon dies upon coronation, and Seth dies in hiding. With no heir to the monarchy, theLeague of Nations steps in and claims the country as a League of Nations Mandate.
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