Literary Gossip, January 25, 1956 (Christopher Isherwood Diaries)

Christopher Isherwood


January 25*

         Today I had a drink with John Lehmann, Graham Greene and Henry Yorke.**  They told me about Evelyn Waugh's nervous breakdown.  He went into a bar in Cairo, and the bartender said, "Good afternoon, Sir," and Waugh just grunted.  And a voice said to Waugh: "You'd have spoken to him if he'd been a Lord."  Graham looked quite sleek and handsome -- much younger than in his photographs.  He said this was because he is always photographed when he has a hangover.

        Much talk about Cyril Connolly's famous marital troubles, which he broadcasts all over Europe.

Graham Greene

Henry Yorke

John Lehmann photographed at Ham Spray seated between Rosamond Lehmann (l) and Lytton Strachey (r)

Excerpt from:  Christopher Isherwood, Diaries, Volume One, 1939-1960). London, Methuen, 1996.

* According to Wikipedia, there are no other notable world events that occurred on January 25, 1956. Therefore, I believe this London meeting of three important masters of 20th century British literatrue and a key British publisher held for purposes of cutting up prominent members of their circle constitutes something of a historical "discovery." 

** Henry Yorke wrote novels under the pen name Henry Green.  To help sort out the gossip, players and scorecard, you may possibly be interested in seeing this, this,  this, and this  for Henry Green, and here, here,  here and here for more Graham Greene.