I first read this novel in high school and was impressed with it. It has not aged well: The culture of death has changed since Waugh wrote it, at least in the region of the US where I live. We embrace more of the reality of death with natural burials, cremation and scattering of ashes and even human composting. Informal memorial gatherings are gaining ground on formal funeral rites. What is left of Waugh's novel is the conflict between Hollywood and an old idea of Britain. ( )

Unexpected. ( )

En el curso de una gira de conferencias por los Estados Unidos, Evelyn Waugh descubrió los peculiares ritos funerarios de las antiguas colonias inglesas de ultramar. El resultado de la contemplación de este submundo delirante, edificado en los márgenes de la sociedad de la opulencia para recibir con babilónica grandiosidad a quienes la abandonan para siempre, fue Los seres queridos, una de las novelas de humor más negro de la literatura inglesa, en la tradición de Swift.

Hilarious satire about the rather disgusting burial industry. It was, from what I remember (I read it about 42 years ago) a parody of Forest Lawn Cemetery in California. I read it in the wake of my father's death at the age of 47 when I was 15. The rather aggressive funeral director corresponded well to the book. ( )

From 1948, Waugh tears into vulgarities of the funeral industry. Set in 1940's Hollywood it focuses on conspicuous consumption, ego building, and nationalism. The Brits in this story feel above the Americans (culturally) but act no better. Just different. The clash of attitudes demonstrates superficial attitudes and emotions. A call for self-evaluation by individuals and societies. Waugh certainly earned his standing as a author well worth reading. ( )