However, the figure of Constantius Chlorus, Constantine's father, was interpreted by friends of the novelist as a caricature of Field-Marshal Bernard Montgomery, a man Waugh mocked as a vainglorious social climber. The book has been described as lacking the characteristic biting satire for which Waugh is best known. Helena, a Christian, was the mother of the Roman emperor Constantine I. It follows the quest of Helena of Constantinople to find the relics of the cross on which Christ was crucified. The story is just something to be read in fact a legend." Helena begins and ends in surmise and legend. Most of the dates and hard facts, confidently given in the encyclopedia, soften and dissolve on examination. "The reader may reasonably inquire: how much is true? The Age of Constantine is strangely obscure. Helena, published in 1950, is the sole historical novel of Evelyn Waugh. Readers are also furnished with a detailed set of explanatory notes which provide information about the people, places, events and texts referenced in Waugh's only historical novel, as well as pointing out links in theme or idea with others of Waugh's works.Love Among the Ruins. Covering such matters as 'Publication History', 'Cultural Contexts', and 'Critical Reception', the introduction facilitates successful engagement with Waugh's novel from a variety of perspectives, as well as equipping the reader with detailed understanding of its fascinating and complex textual history.
This edition of Helena provides the first detailed textual history of the novel. Uniquely, however, Helena also demonstrates Waugh's interest in domestic politics set against a backdrop of significant historical acts. His fictional account of Helena's widely-celebrated life and pilgrimage is the product of detailed historical research, and it contributes to our understanding of Waugh's views of the Church, both ancient and modern. Waugh described Helena as his favourite among his works-in a Face to Face interview with John Freeman for the BBC in 1960, for example.
Set in the 4th century AD, and Waugh's only historical novel, Helena is the story of the mother of Emperor Constantine and her reputed discovery of the 'True Cross'. The edition's General Editor is Alexander Waugh, Evelyn Waugh's grandson and editor of the twelve-volume Personal Writings sequence. This volume is part of the Complete Works of Evelyn Waugh critical edition, which brings together all Waugh's published and previously unpublished writings for the first time with comprehensive introductions and annotation, and a full account of each text's manuscript development and textual variants.
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