Anthony Powell: The Military Philosophers (1968)

Edition: Mandarin, 1991
Review number: 434

The third trilogy in A Dance to the Music of Time comes to an end with the end of the war. The Military Philosophers is the story of Nick Jenkins' posting to the unit which maintained liaison between the British military and the governments in exile of the occupied countries. The international nature of this work leads to absurdities rather like those in Lawrence Durrell's Antrobus stories, and they are by far the most memorable aspect of this novel.

Of the series characters, the most interesting to play a part on The Military Philosophers is Pamela Fitton, niece of Charles Stringham, now grown up and keen to seduce as many men as possible. Assigned as ATS driver to Nick's unit, she has to be transferred because of the disturbance she causes to relations with the allies.