The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold: Study of a Soused Old Man

The ‘write what you know’ adage is trite and a bit too prevalent in any discussion with friends you know that consider themselves poets, authors or otherwise. And while it will continue to be more than a frustrating quip to endure over and over again through the next sixty years of life (mine at least), Evelyn Waugh kinda put it to practice in an unassuming and all too amusing manner. Waugh’s not the most famous Brit author, but he might be one of the most funny – we can’t count J.P. Donleavy even if he was a subject of the crown, he was one of the colonized.

Any way, Waugh’s life is pretty easily gleaned from his novels – except for The Loved One, since we can assume that the author never had anything to do with California nor with the business of disposing of bodies. Regardless of his other life pursuits, Waugh generally settles upon a situation, idea or time that he’s been a part of in some tangential way, inserts a quick witted and somewhat skeptical character into a narrative and sees how he/his character would react to various obstacles. Waugh may not have colonized some country in Africa, but readers know what would have happened if he did as a result of reading Black Mischief.

Towards the end of his writing career, after Waugh had not only examined his time in the military pretty extensively, but also looked at his faith, the latter years of his fame got a once over. The author may have experienced a brief flirtation with substance abuse – which no doubt wouldn’t have been considered in the same light today – and in The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold reader’s get an unexpurgated peak into what one of Waugh’s more extreme episodes may have included – in part at least. Every specificity of Gilbert Pinfold seems befitting for a fictitious Waugh right down to the semi-combative interview the author endures.

The arc of the novel follows a writer, who at the exposition of it all enjoys a drink and a pill under the strict supervision of his doctor, but can’t finish a novel he’s began over a year ago. Pinfold isn’t overly worried about the state of his work considering the respect that his previous novels have received. And although he fully intends to complete the work on a chartered ship, a bout of bizarre interactions with unseen antagonists destroys the writer’s solitude.

Surely, there’s some broad allegorical conclusion that could be drawn from the work, but that might be moving a bit past the intent of the author – and no, that’s not an offer to consider various theoretical discourses on what texts mean. But the book plainly details an unfortunate circumstance that this one gentleman finds himself in. Perhaps early works, including the aforementioned The Loved One might bear out some excising rereading, but The Ordeal of Gilbert Pinfold is simple comedy. It’d kinda be like putting Mr. Magoo on a boat, getting him loaded and watching him try to complete some task that he’s been set to. The novel isn’t the pinnacle of Waugh’s works, but it’s a pretty impressive way in which to conclude a career in fiction.