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Sword of Honour #2
Officers and Gentlemen
The "wise, amusing, and beautifully written" ( Commonweal ) second installment in Evelyn Waugh's masterful trilogy of World War Two novels.
Fueled by idealism and eagerness to contribute to the war effort, Guy Crouchback becomes attached to a commando unit undergoing training on the Hebridean isle of Mugg, where the whisky flows freely and respect must be paid to the laird. But the comedy of Mugg is soon followed by the bitterness of Crete, where chaos reigns and a difficult evacuation must be accomplished.
Officers and Gentlemen is the second novel in Waugh's brilliant Sword of Honor trilogy recording the tumultuous wartime adventures of Guy Crouchback (called "the finest work of fiction in English to emerge from World War II" by the Atlantic Monthly ), which also comprises Men at Arms and Unconditional Surrender .
Fueled by idealism and eagerness to contribute to the war effort, Guy Crouchback becomes attached to a commando unit undergoing training on the Hebridean isle of Mugg, where the whisky flows freely and respect must be paid to the laird. But the comedy of Mugg is soon followed by the bitterness of Crete, where chaos reigns and a difficult evacuation must be accomplished.
Officers and Gentlemen is the second novel in Waugh's brilliant Sword of Honor trilogy recording the tumultuous wartime adventures of Guy Crouchback (called "the finest work of fiction in English to emerge from World War II" by the Atlantic Monthly ), which also comprises Men at Arms and Unconditional Surrender .
353 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1955
105 people are currently reading
1954 people want to read
About the author
Evelyn Waugh
347 books2,954 followersEvelyn Waugh's father Arthur was a noted editor and publisher. His only sibling Alec also became a writer of note. In fact, his book “The Loom of Youth” (1917) a novel about his old boarding school Sherborne caused Evelyn to be expelled from there and placed at Lancing College. He said of his time there, “…the whole of English education when I was brought up was to produce prose writers; it was all we were taught, really.” He went on to Hertford College, Oxford, where he read History. When asked if he took up any sports there he quipped, “I drank for Hertford.”
In 1924 Waugh left Oxford without taking his degree. After inglorious stints as a school teacher (he was dismissed for trying to seduce a school matron and/or inebriation), an apprentice cabinet maker and journalist, he wrote and had published his first novel, “Decline and Fall” in 1928.
In 1928 he married Evelyn Gardiner. She proved unfaithful, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1930. Waugh would derive parts of “A Handful of Dust” from this unhappy time. His second marriage to Audrey Herbert lasted the rest of his life and begat seven children. It was during this time that he converted to Catholicism.
During the thirties Waugh produced one gem after another. From this decade come: “Vile Bodies” (1930), “Black Mischief” (1932), the incomparable “A Handful of Dust” (1934) and “Scoop” (1938). After the Second World War he published what is for many his masterpiece, “Brideshead Revisited,” in which his Catholicism took centre stage. “The Loved One” a scathing satire of the American death industry followed in 1947. After publishing his “Sword of Honour Trilogy” about his experiences in World War II - “Men at Arms” (1952), “Officers and Gentlemen” (1955), “Unconditional Surrender" (1961) - his career was seen to be on the wane. In fact, “Basil Seal Rides Again” (1963) - his last published novel - received little critical or commercial attention.
Evelyn Waugh, considered by many to be the greatest satirical novelist of his day, died on 10 April 1966 at the age of 62.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_W...
In 1924 Waugh left Oxford without taking his degree. After inglorious stints as a school teacher (he was dismissed for trying to seduce a school matron and/or inebriation), an apprentice cabinet maker and journalist, he wrote and had published his first novel, “Decline and Fall” in 1928.
In 1928 he married Evelyn Gardiner. She proved unfaithful, and the marriage ended in divorce in 1930. Waugh would derive parts of “A Handful of Dust” from this unhappy time. His second marriage to Audrey Herbert lasted the rest of his life and begat seven children. It was during this time that he converted to Catholicism.
During the thirties Waugh produced one gem after another. From this decade come: “Vile Bodies” (1930), “Black Mischief” (1932), the incomparable “A Handful of Dust” (1934) and “Scoop” (1938). After the Second World War he published what is for many his masterpiece, “Brideshead Revisited,” in which his Catholicism took centre stage. “The Loved One” a scathing satire of the American death industry followed in 1947. After publishing his “Sword of Honour Trilogy” about his experiences in World War II - “Men at Arms” (1952), “Officers and Gentlemen” (1955), “Unconditional Surrender" (1961) - his career was seen to be on the wane. In fact, “Basil Seal Rides Again” (1963) - his last published novel - received little critical or commercial attention.
Evelyn Waugh, considered by many to be the greatest satirical novelist of his day, died on 10 April 1966 at the age of 62.
See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_W...
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August 7, 2024
RESA INCONDIZIONATA
La trilogia Spada e onore è composta da Uomini alle armi (Men at Arms, 1952), questo, uscito nel 1955, e per finire da Resa incondizionata (Unconditional Surrender, 1961).
Sono una meraviglia che credo leggerò per la terza volta, mai sazio dei migliori romanzi di Evelyn Waugh, che secondo me sa arrivare dove non molti riescono.
Nei miei anni d’università, tra le letture non di studio che ho preferito, Evelyn Waugh ha avuto un posto privilegiato.
Probabilmente perché era inglese, e ho avuto un debole per la letteratura in questa lingua.
Probabilmente perché faceva sorridere, e talvolta ridere.
Ma più probabilmente, perché sapeva andare oltre riso e sorriso, sapeva raggiungerne la radice e la fonte: le lacrime.
L’abilità di coniugare i due elementi, lacrima e sorriso, che si possono sovrapporre, per me è stato il tratto distintivo di questo scrittore britannico, che ha cantato la finis Inghilterrae con una leggerezza che i cantori della finis Austriae non sapevano neppure dove abitasse.
Conservatore, perfino nostalgico, ma lucido come pochi, comprese che la Seconda Guerra Mondiale spazzava via definitivamente un’epoca.
E per quello che l’epoca precedente era diventata, perdendo i suoi valori di base e formazione, portando a galla le incongruenze e le finzioni di cui era intrecciata, era meglio così. Quel mondo, per lui ideale, scompariva per sempre, perché ormai diventato caricatura di se stesso, cancellato dalla mostruosa macchina di sangue della guerra mondiale. La società borghese e quella aristocratica avevano ormai perso ogni valore morale per conservare soltanto quelli materiali.
E quindi, strano tipo di nostalgico questo Waugh: se si attribuisce al Gattopardo la frase “cambiare tutto per non cambiare niente” (in realtà mi pare fosse Tancredi a dire Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga come è, bisogna che tutto cambi), Waugh direbbe, cambiamo tutto per cambiare davvero.
Guy Crouchback è protagonista anche di questo romanzo: è un ufficiale dell’esercito inglese che viene da definire smarrito e confuso, sia l’ufficiale Guy che l’esercito cui appartiene – sembra che tutto, ogni decisione militare, sia frutto d’improvvisazione, d’indecisione (viene in mente il capolavoro di Joseph Heller, Catch 22 – Comma 22).
Dopo essere stato in Africa nel primo romanzo, viene richiamato a Londra. La guerra è arrivata anche nella capitale inglese.
Lo hanno richiamato per “incarichi speciali”, ma nessuno sa spiegargli di cosa si tratti, quali siano questi compiti speciali.
Si sa però che la sua prossima destinazione è l’isola di Mugg, isolotto che fa parte dell’arcipelago scozzese, posto alquanto remoto desolato, dove Guy dovrà combattere la sua personale guerra contro la noia.
Insieme a lui, altrettanto deliranti, altri ufficiali dell’esercito inglese, oltre allo sparuto manipolo degli abitanti del posto.
Ma la guerra arriva per davvero: Guy viene mandato prima in Egitto e poi a Creta. Qui, quello cui assiste e partecipa, spinge Waugh a mitigare la sua ironia nella compassione: l’orrore è orrore, non ci si può scherzare.
È finita una società, che sicuramente Waugh rimpiange: e sono finiti anche gli eroi, non è più tempo d’eroi. L’Inghilterra vince la guerra, ma perde l’impero, e perde il suo ruolo dominante nel mondo (per consegnarlo ai cugini a stelle e strisce).
La trilogia di ‘Spada e onore’ è il canto del cigno del British Style, la fine di un'egemonia plurisecolare grazie alla quale la pirateria di Francis Drake si era trasformata nei gentlemen di un impero come mai prima di allora si era conosciuto. Ci si ritrova pirati senza essere più gentiluomini e la salvezza resta nelle fragili mani di chi, come Guy Crouchback, si ostina a pensare che una vita senza il sacrificio di sé è una vita indegna d'essere vissuta.
La trilogia Spada e onore è composta da Uomini alle armi (Men at Arms, 1952), questo, uscito nel 1955, e per finire da Resa incondizionata (Unconditional Surrender, 1961).
Sono una meraviglia che credo leggerò per la terza volta, mai sazio dei migliori romanzi di Evelyn Waugh, che secondo me sa arrivare dove non molti riescono.
Nei miei anni d’università, tra le letture non di studio che ho preferito, Evelyn Waugh ha avuto un posto privilegiato.
Probabilmente perché era inglese, e ho avuto un debole per la letteratura in questa lingua.
Probabilmente perché faceva sorridere, e talvolta ridere.
Ma più probabilmente, perché sapeva andare oltre riso e sorriso, sapeva raggiungerne la radice e la fonte: le lacrime.
L’abilità di coniugare i due elementi, lacrima e sorriso, che si possono sovrapporre, per me è stato il tratto distintivo di questo scrittore britannico, che ha cantato la finis Inghilterrae con una leggerezza che i cantori della finis Austriae non sapevano neppure dove abitasse.
Conservatore, perfino nostalgico, ma lucido come pochi, comprese che la Seconda Guerra Mondiale spazzava via definitivamente un’epoca.
E per quello che l’epoca precedente era diventata, perdendo i suoi valori di base e formazione, portando a galla le incongruenze e le finzioni di cui era intrecciata, era meglio così. Quel mondo, per lui ideale, scompariva per sempre, perché ormai diventato caricatura di se stesso, cancellato dalla mostruosa macchina di sangue della guerra mondiale. La società borghese e quella aristocratica avevano ormai perso ogni valore morale per conservare soltanto quelli materiali.
E quindi, strano tipo di nostalgico questo Waugh: se si attribuisce al Gattopardo la frase “cambiare tutto per non cambiare niente” (in realtà mi pare fosse Tancredi a dire Se vogliamo che tutto rimanga come è, bisogna che tutto cambi), Waugh direbbe, cambiamo tutto per cambiare davvero.
Guy Crouchback è protagonista anche di questo romanzo: è un ufficiale dell’esercito inglese che viene da definire smarrito e confuso, sia l’ufficiale Guy che l’esercito cui appartiene – sembra che tutto, ogni decisione militare, sia frutto d’improvvisazione, d’indecisione (viene in mente il capolavoro di Joseph Heller, Catch 22 – Comma 22).
Dopo essere stato in Africa nel primo romanzo, viene richiamato a Londra. La guerra è arrivata anche nella capitale inglese.
Lo hanno richiamato per “incarichi speciali”, ma nessuno sa spiegargli di cosa si tratti, quali siano questi compiti speciali.
Si sa però che la sua prossima destinazione è l’isola di Mugg, isolotto che fa parte dell’arcipelago scozzese, posto alquanto remoto desolato, dove Guy dovrà combattere la sua personale guerra contro la noia.
Insieme a lui, altrettanto deliranti, altri ufficiali dell’esercito inglese, oltre allo sparuto manipolo degli abitanti del posto.
Ma la guerra arriva per davvero: Guy viene mandato prima in Egitto e poi a Creta. Qui, quello cui assiste e partecipa, spinge Waugh a mitigare la sua ironia nella compassione: l’orrore è orrore, non ci si può scherzare.
È finita una società, che sicuramente Waugh rimpiange: e sono finiti anche gli eroi, non è più tempo d’eroi. L’Inghilterra vince la guerra, ma perde l’impero, e perde il suo ruolo dominante nel mondo (per consegnarlo ai cugini a stelle e strisce).
La trilogia di ‘Spada e onore’ è il canto del cigno del British Style, la fine di un'egemonia plurisecolare grazie alla quale la pirateria di Francis Drake si era trasformata nei gentlemen di un impero come mai prima di allora si era conosciuto. Ci si ritrova pirati senza essere più gentiluomini e la salvezza resta nelle fragili mani di chi, come Guy Crouchback, si ostina a pensare che una vita senza il sacrificio di sé è una vita indegna d'essere vissuta.
May 24, 2020
Officers and Gentlemen is the second volume of a trilogy, preceded by Men at Arms and followed by Unconditional Surrender. The three must be read in this order and one immediately after the other; they read as one book. In this review I explain why I have decided to stop after the second book.
The books are loosely based on Waugh’s experiences during the Second World War.
Here follows my review of the first book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the second book, the jocular tone remains the same. Guy continues training, now stationed on an isle in the Hebrides under the command of Tommy Blackhouse. He is none other than the man for whom Guy’s wife left him. He is supposedly a close friend. Believable? Well, maybe! Anyhow, then Guy is off to a post in Egypt and combat on Crete. Up to this point, the chaos and arbitrary orders of military command have been described many times over. I began to find the repetition exceedingly tedious. One can take only so much slapstick!
In Crete, the tone changes. Here the writing becomes serious. The Allied capitulation of Crete in 1941 is well drawn. It is this section that allows me to rate the book as being OK, and thus give it two rather than one star.
The chaotic situations described and the specifically British military jargon and acronyms used make the reading confusing. I believe this to be intentional. One also jumps between different sites without warning, often within one chapter.
The characters are black or white, good or bad, unnuanced in the extreme. There is not one woman or man drawn that feels real, not even Guy, who comes closest in representing Waugh himself. All are caricatures. Waugh wants to deliver several messages. He uses his characters to deliver these messages.
What views does Waugh put forth? First and foremost, he criticizes the inefficiencies and arbitrariness of military command.
What else is Waugh saying?
*Himself a converted Roman Catholic, Waugh’s characters fall back on religion, faith and prayer when in crisis. I do sense that Waugh was capable of questioning church practices, for example non-acceptance of divorce.
*Waugh views Communism and Socialism as the worst of the worst. There are different forms of Socialism and there exist situations where one must work with those of opposing ideas to fight a common enemy. That the Western Powers, during the Second World War, worked together with the Russians against the Germans is clearly criticized by Waugh. Another aspect of the book I find highly unnuanced.
*Waugh speaks disparagingly of common, working class people. His aristocratic pretensions I find annoying.
These views become evident as one progresses through the second book.
Guy’s personality is detached. I saw him loosening up in the first book. Here in the second, he loosens up a bit further, but soon falls back to where he was from the start. I have stopped caring, since the book is NOT about him.
There is also Guy’s relationship with his divorced wife to consider. I have a hunch he is going to end up with her again. I don’t need such a cute ending. I don’t want to be around when it is drawn. Maybe I am wrong, but it is an additional reason why I want to quit now.
I have chosen not to continue the trilogy. I find the humor repetitive, the characters unnuanced, and the messages to be conveyed already blatantly made evident. The trilogy needs to be tightened.
In 1965 the author extensively revised the three books, collecting them into a one volume version--The Sword of Honour Trilogy. It is this version Waugh recommended. If you choose to read the suite of books, it is this which I recommend too. Hopefully, it is sufficiently condensed and at least in this respect improved.
As stated in my review of Men at Arms, the audiobook narrator, Christian Rodska, dramatizes excessively. Some adore dramatization. I don’t, particularly when carried too far. The dramatization further exaggerates the bluntly drawn characters. The stupid ones all scream. If you are an idiot, you can easily distinguish between the good and bad characters. Do you hear my sarcasm? This time I have given Rodska’s narration one star. I‘ve had it. I am sick of his yelling.
If I were to describe this book in three words, it would be “unnuanced, simplistic, overdone”.
***********************'
*Brideshead Revisited 4 stars
*Decline and Fall 3 stars
*A Handful of Dust 2 stars
The Sword of Honour Trilogy
or
*Men at Arms 3 stars
*Officers and Gentlemen 2 stars
*Unconditional Surrender not-to-read
*Scoop TBR
The books are loosely based on Waugh’s experiences during the Second World War.
Here follows my review of the first book: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In the second book, the jocular tone remains the same. Guy continues training, now stationed on an isle in the Hebrides under the command of Tommy Blackhouse. He is none other than the man for whom Guy’s wife left him. He is supposedly a close friend. Believable? Well, maybe! Anyhow, then Guy is off to a post in Egypt and combat on Crete. Up to this point, the chaos and arbitrary orders of military command have been described many times over. I began to find the repetition exceedingly tedious. One can take only so much slapstick!
In Crete, the tone changes. Here the writing becomes serious. The Allied capitulation of Crete in 1941 is well drawn. It is this section that allows me to rate the book as being OK, and thus give it two rather than one star.
The chaotic situations described and the specifically British military jargon and acronyms used make the reading confusing. I believe this to be intentional. One also jumps between different sites without warning, often within one chapter.
The characters are black or white, good or bad, unnuanced in the extreme. There is not one woman or man drawn that feels real, not even Guy, who comes closest in representing Waugh himself. All are caricatures. Waugh wants to deliver several messages. He uses his characters to deliver these messages.
What views does Waugh put forth? First and foremost, he criticizes the inefficiencies and arbitrariness of military command.
What else is Waugh saying?
*Himself a converted Roman Catholic, Waugh’s characters fall back on religion, faith and prayer when in crisis. I do sense that Waugh was capable of questioning church practices, for example non-acceptance of divorce.
*Waugh views Communism and Socialism as the worst of the worst. There are different forms of Socialism and there exist situations where one must work with those of opposing ideas to fight a common enemy. That the Western Powers, during the Second World War, worked together with the Russians against the Germans is clearly criticized by Waugh. Another aspect of the book I find highly unnuanced.
*Waugh speaks disparagingly of common, working class people. His aristocratic pretensions I find annoying.
These views become evident as one progresses through the second book.
Guy’s personality is detached. I saw him loosening up in the first book. Here in the second, he loosens up a bit further, but soon falls back to where he was from the start. I have stopped caring, since the book is NOT about him.
There is also Guy’s relationship with his divorced wife to consider. I have a hunch he is going to end up with her again. I don’t need such a cute ending. I don’t want to be around when it is drawn. Maybe I am wrong, but it is an additional reason why I want to quit now.
I have chosen not to continue the trilogy. I find the humor repetitive, the characters unnuanced, and the messages to be conveyed already blatantly made evident. The trilogy needs to be tightened.
In 1965 the author extensively revised the three books, collecting them into a one volume version--The Sword of Honour Trilogy. It is this version Waugh recommended. If you choose to read the suite of books, it is this which I recommend too. Hopefully, it is sufficiently condensed and at least in this respect improved.
As stated in my review of Men at Arms, the audiobook narrator, Christian Rodska, dramatizes excessively. Some adore dramatization. I don’t, particularly when carried too far. The dramatization further exaggerates the bluntly drawn characters. The stupid ones all scream. If you are an idiot, you can easily distinguish between the good and bad characters. Do you hear my sarcasm? This time I have given Rodska’s narration one star. I‘ve had it. I am sick of his yelling.
If I were to describe this book in three words, it would be “unnuanced, simplistic, overdone”.
***********************'
*Brideshead Revisited 4 stars
*Decline and Fall 3 stars
*A Handful of Dust 2 stars
The Sword of Honour Trilogy
or
*Men at Arms 3 stars
*Officers and Gentlemen 2 stars
*Unconditional Surrender not-to-read
*Scoop TBR
April 30, 2011
A grimmer, less slap-sticky continuation of Men at Arms, this second book of the Sword of Honour trilogy is heavy on military strategy (or lack thereof), inertia and the tales of characters other than our primary protagonist, Guy Crouchback, as it spends a good deal of time following the elder, rotund "Jumbo" and the detrimentally by-the-book Hound. Officers and Gentlemen marks a steady turn away from the outright farcical elements of the first book, and is quite stark towards the end: death, madness, hopelessness and possible defeat darken the narrative. Guy's idealism from the first book, as well as his deep Catholic faith, seems almost completely extinguished by the end of this volume.
Lots of express and implicit commentary on the role of class amongst Englishmen. I take Waugh to be bemoaning, along with Crouchback, the end of the gentleman soldier and perhaps the democratization of warfare. There's an interesting subplot in here about English propaganda propping up a scoundrel as a war hero in the hopes of making a rags to riches story to boost morale back home. Got to love Waugh's stab at American war journalists in London, casting three minor characters who seek to capture the story: Scab Dunz, Bum Schlum and Joe Mulligan.
A good next step after Men at Arms but not as immediately engaging. With much of the introductory material already taken care of in the first book, the narrative is in full stride from the beginning and quite a bit is packed into Officers and Gentlemen. Reflecting on it now, I'm surprised by how dense the seemingly slight book was. I'll try to track down Unconditional Surrender to finish off the trilogy.
Lots of express and implicit commentary on the role of class amongst Englishmen. I take Waugh to be bemoaning, along with Crouchback, the end of the gentleman soldier and perhaps the democratization of warfare. There's an interesting subplot in here about English propaganda propping up a scoundrel as a war hero in the hopes of making a rags to riches story to boost morale back home. Got to love Waugh's stab at American war journalists in London, casting three minor characters who seek to capture the story: Scab Dunz, Bum Schlum and Joe Mulligan.
A good next step after Men at Arms but not as immediately engaging. With much of the introductory material already taken care of in the first book, the narrative is in full stride from the beginning and quite a bit is packed into Officers and Gentlemen. Reflecting on it now, I'm surprised by how dense the seemingly slight book was. I'll try to track down Unconditional Surrender to finish off the trilogy.
July 11, 2025
In this middle book of Waugh's WWII trilogy, middle-aged officer Guy Crouchback leaves training behind and fully enters the war, moving from the dismal Scottish island of Mugg (neighbor of Muck, Rum, and Egg), through Cairo, and finally the disastrous Battle of Crete. Like its predecessor, the novel mixes humor and more complex emotional material.
Waugh's humor centers around his characters' helplessness in the face of external forces, the shams that lie behind the most venerated institutions, and the feeling it's an absolute miracle anything ever gets done at all. Officers's central comedic force is a character called Trimmer, a scoundrel and former hairdresser who lies about his rank, shacks up with Guy’s ex-wife, and inexplicably finds himself a national hero after an utterly pointless mission, thanks to the Army's PR machine. Like Apthorpe in the previous novel, Trimmer is an emblem of Waugh’s view that most heroes have nothing of substance, and it doesn’t necessarily matter that they don’t.
Underneath all its comic ineptitude and degradations, Men at Arms had a strange kind of optimism, a feeling that both Guy and England are muddling toward something of value. Officers and Gentlemen, however, is melancholy novel, steeped in defeat and betrayal. The novel ends with one of Guy’s fellow soldiers deserting, followed by Germany invading Russia. Both are major blows to Guy’s confidence, and we’re left at a point of despair:
Waugh's humor centers around his characters' helplessness in the face of external forces, the shams that lie behind the most venerated institutions, and the feeling it's an absolute miracle anything ever gets done at all. Officers's central comedic force is a character called Trimmer, a scoundrel and former hairdresser who lies about his rank, shacks up with Guy’s ex-wife, and inexplicably finds himself a national hero after an utterly pointless mission, thanks to the Army's PR machine. Like Apthorpe in the previous novel, Trimmer is an emblem of Waugh’s view that most heroes have nothing of substance, and it doesn’t necessarily matter that they don’t.
Underneath all its comic ineptitude and degradations, Men at Arms had a strange kind of optimism, a feeling that both Guy and England are muddling toward something of value. Officers and Gentlemen, however, is melancholy novel, steeped in defeat and betrayal. The novel ends with one of Guy’s fellow soldiers deserting, followed by Germany invading Russia. Both are major blows to Guy’s confidence, and we’re left at a point of despair:
It was just such a sunny, breezy Mediterranean day two years before when he read of the Russo-German alliance, when a decade of shame seemed to be ending in light and reason, when the enemy was plain in view, huge and hateful, all disguise cast off; the modern age in arms.
Now that hallucination was dissolved, like the whales and turtles on the voyage from Crete, and he was back after less than two years’ pilgrimage in a Holy Land of illusion in the old ambiguous world, where priests were spies and gallant friends proved traitors and his country was led blundering into dishonour.
May 20, 2020
The story continues with Crouchbank sent to a Scottish Island, then on to Capetown, Alexandria and then to Crete. Chaos and defeat. The characters are very memorable Trimmer, Virginia his ex wife, Ivor, Hound and Jumbo. A well written and perhaps a more accurate depiction of WWII. The harrowing escape from Crete and duplicity of Mrs Stitch was a bit grim and Guy once again ending back in England.
Poor Crouchback the main character, is a gentleman, a romantic and Roman Catholic. The story is about he is trying to understand life.
Waugh captures in the story the chaos of war. He also is critical about progress, democracy, and egalitarianism. The class system is evident with the army officers while mostly brave were incompetent, eccentric and weak to face the challenges of the 20th century.
Poor Crouchback the main character, is a gentleman, a romantic and Roman Catholic. The story is about he is trying to understand life.
Waugh captures in the story the chaos of war. He also is critical about progress, democracy, and egalitarianism. The class system is evident with the army officers while mostly brave were incompetent, eccentric and weak to face the challenges of the 20th century.
October 13, 2019
Written very much tongue in cheek in ‘Officers and Gentlemen’ Evelyn Waugh exposes to ridicule the old order, an aristocracy hopelessly ill equipped to understand the demands of modern warfare, and how ill suited are the part time amateurs posing as Officers and issuing orders in complete ignorance of the magnitude of the tasks in hand. Not surprisingly, many these incompetent officers, as they try to uphold honour, duty, and courage in the face of adversity, merely invite trouble and promote chaos and complete breakdown, and some even evade their responsibility and end the war going to pieces. Satire and sardonic wit at its best.
Idealistic and romantic Guy Crouchback is destined to be unlucky in love and life, as his hopes are dashed and his ideals tarnished. Guy has a somewhat distant relationship with his father, who is an elderly schoolmaster and who, unable to pay for its upkeep, has handed over Broome, the family home, which is now being used as a girls boarding school. Sadly, for father and son the age of chivalry is either dead or dying, and they both seem out of sorts with the modern age. Guy has a failed marriage behind him but doesn’t seem at all put out when he meets, Virginia, his former wife whose scandalous life style might have been expected to cause him embarrassment, as she carries on with her hairdresser on the Atlantic crossing as she seeks out her third husband.
But nothing is quite what it seems to be in this delicate tale of manners in which petty deference to rules and regulations, is followed to the letter, and the English class system is exposed to ridicule as making the war almost unmanageable. Decorum and ‘form’ is imperative, following protocol and displaying a stiff upper lip is essential, and speaking rashly in front of the servants, or ones batman, is tantamount to the most heinous of crimes. It just wouldn’t do.
Written very much tongue in cheek in ‘Officers and Gentlemen’ Evelyn Waugh exposes to ridicule the old order, hopelessly ill equipped in the chaos of modern warfare, and how ill suited are the part time amateurs posing as Officers and issuing orders in complete ignorance of the task in hand. Not surprisingly as these would-be officers try to uphold a sense of honour, duty, and courage in the face of adversity, they merely invite trouble and breakdown, and some even evade their responsibility entirely and end the war going to pieces.
Wonderful from start to finish.
Idealistic and romantic Guy Crouchback is destined to be unlucky in love and life, as his hopes are dashed and his ideals tarnished. Guy has a somewhat distant relationship with his father, who is an elderly schoolmaster and who, unable to pay for its upkeep, has handed over Broome, the family home, which is now being used as a girls boarding school. Sadly, for father and son the age of chivalry is either dead or dying, and they both seem out of sorts with the modern age. Guy has a failed marriage behind him but doesn’t seem at all put out when he meets, Virginia, his former wife whose scandalous life style might have been expected to cause him embarrassment, as she carries on with her hairdresser on the Atlantic crossing as she seeks out her third husband.
But nothing is quite what it seems to be in this delicate tale of manners in which petty deference to rules and regulations, is followed to the letter, and the English class system is exposed to ridicule as making the war almost unmanageable. Decorum and ‘form’ is imperative, following protocol and displaying a stiff upper lip is essential, and speaking rashly in front of the servants, or ones batman, is tantamount to the most heinous of crimes. It just wouldn’t do.
Written very much tongue in cheek in ‘Officers and Gentlemen’ Evelyn Waugh exposes to ridicule the old order, hopelessly ill equipped in the chaos of modern warfare, and how ill suited are the part time amateurs posing as Officers and issuing orders in complete ignorance of the task in hand. Not surprisingly as these would-be officers try to uphold a sense of honour, duty, and courage in the face of adversity, they merely invite trouble and breakdown, and some even evade their responsibility entirely and end the war going to pieces.
Wonderful from start to finish.
March 27, 2023
Продовження трилогії Івліна Во про пригоди британського офіцера Ґая Краучбека під час Другої світової війни, як на мене, значно цікавіша, за першу частину. "Офіцери і джентельмени" має яскравішу атмосферу та динамічнішу оповідь, і взагалі, можливо, є одним із кращих романів про війну.
Ґай Краучбек повертається до Англії, де намагається потрапити до лав "командос" – таких собі сил ННО -"небезпечних наступальних операцій", підрозділу, який мав би спеціалізуватися на диверсійних операціях. ННО укомплектовуються людьми за принципом "це буде довга війна, тож краще провести її в колі друзів".
Разом із "командос" Ґай поневіряється Серездемномор'ям і опиняється в епіцентрі безславної для союзників битви за Крит, де британські війська зазнали поразки і тисячами здавалися в полон.
Івлін Во брав участь в цих подіях, тому розповідь про пригоди Ґая можна вважати частково автобіографічними. Як і Гай Краучбек, Івлін Во після подій на острові Крит розчарувався у багатьох речах: в друзях, у війні, в політиці, в самому собі.
"Офіцери і джентельмени" – це зовсім не героїчна історія, армійське життя там часто абсурдне, комічне і малопривабливе, а пафосні звіти з фронту і успішні операції є лише винятками, щедро прикрашеними пропагандою.
Ґай Краучбек повертається до Англії, де намагається потрапити до лав "командос" – таких собі сил ННО -"небезпечних наступальних операцій", підрозділу, який мав би спеціалізуватися на диверсійних операціях. ННО укомплектовуються людьми за принципом "це буде довга війна, тож краще провести її в колі друзів".
Разом із "командос" Ґай поневіряється Серездемномор'ям і опиняється в епіцентрі безславної для союзників битви за Крит, де британські війська зазнали поразки і тисячами здавалися в полон.
Івлін Во брав участь в цих подіях, тому розповідь про пригоди Ґая можна вважати частково автобіографічними. Як і Гай Краучбек, Івлін Во після подій на острові Крит розчарувався у багатьох речах: в друзях, у війні, в політиці, в самому собі.
"Офіцери і джентельмени" – це зовсім не героїчна історія, армійське життя там часто абсурдне, комічне і малопривабливе, а пафосні звіти з фронту і успішні операції є лише винятками, щедро прикрашеними пропагандою.
November 29, 2025
За іронією та відстороненістю ховається серйозна та жахлива Друга світова.
Тут на одній сторінці легко поміщаються полонені, вбиті і ті, кому конче треба підписати якийсь рапорт чи організувати показове навчання на полігоні. Абсурд. Часто навіть близький до наших реалій.
Але, може, через перенасиченість реальністю книга була не цікава. Ледь дочитав. І вже уявляю, як важко йтиме третя частина
Тут на одній сторінці легко поміщаються полонені, вбиті і ті, кому конче треба підписати якийсь рапорт чи організувати показове навчання на полігоні. Абсурд. Часто навіть близький до наших реалій.
Але, може, через перенасиченість реальністю книга була не цікава. Ледь дочитав. І вже уявляю, як важко йтиме третя частина
March 15, 2023
An interesting, humorous, poignant historical fiction novel set in World War Two and mainly following the experiences of a British officer, Guy Crouchback, aged in his mid thirties. Guy finds himself in a commando brigade training on a Scottish Island. Guy is then posted to Cairo and is caught up in the evacuation of Crete. I particularly enjoyed the humorous story about Trimmer, the Scottish hairdresser, and his raid on the French coast, known as Operation Popgn, where Trimmer inadvertently becomes a hero.
This book was first published in 1955. This is the second book in The Sword of Honour trilogy. It is best to read the first book in the trilogy, ‘Men at Arms’, as ‘Officers and Gentlemen’ follows on from the first book and develops some of the characters first introduced in ‘Men at Arms’.
This book was first published in 1955. This is the second book in The Sword of Honour trilogy. It is best to read the first book in the trilogy, ‘Men at Arms’, as ‘Officers and Gentlemen’ follows on from the first book and develops some of the characters first introduced in ‘Men at Arms’.
June 23, 2012
The first volume of the Sword of Honour trilogy Men at Arms ended with Guy Crouchback back in London. This is where we find him at the start of Officers and Gentlemen, contemplating the beauty of the blitz and meeting up with old acquaintances at Bellamy's, a place of solace in a changing world. Nobody seems to have expected Guy back and so he goes in search of Apthorpe's belongings to pass them on to his friend, the oddly named Chatty Corner.
After somehow being saddled with a whole lorry load of Apthorpe's gear, Guy ends up with X Commando at the Isle of Mugg, where he meets up with Tommy Blackhorse, the elusive Chatty Corner and a whole host of previous characters. Eventually he makes it to Cape Town, on to Alexandria and after a plethora of warning orders, counter orders and changing orders to Crete. Despite his desire to help the war effort, mainly Guy finds himself in a time of confusion and retreat. After drifting on an open boat until delirious and dehydrated he finds himself again back in London, which is where he ends his circle at the end of the book.
I think it is just about impossible to think of another author who conjours up the reality of war with such dry humour and such a humane and likeable hero as Guy Crouchback. The characters are simply brilliantly written - Deputy Commander Major 'Fido' Hound stumbling blearily around Crete, selling his soul for a few mouthfuls of food, is a tragic and touching moment in a book which is filled with such scenes which need no embellishment or over sentimentality to make their point. Again we meet Virginia Troy, who has made another conquest in the hapless Trimmer, who becomes a hero on paper if not in reality. From the Scottish nationalist great niece of Colonel Hector Campbell of Mugg to the delightfully vague Mrs Algernon Stitch, partying in Alexandria as though the war were beyond her, the world Evelyn Waugh conjours up is both completely over the top and yet also known intimately to us. For those who wish to read on, and I assure you that you will want to follow Guy Crouchback's war to the end, the third volume is Unconditional Surrender: The Conclusion of Men at Arms and Officers and Gentlemen.
After somehow being saddled with a whole lorry load of Apthorpe's gear, Guy ends up with X Commando at the Isle of Mugg, where he meets up with Tommy Blackhorse, the elusive Chatty Corner and a whole host of previous characters. Eventually he makes it to Cape Town, on to Alexandria and after a plethora of warning orders, counter orders and changing orders to Crete. Despite his desire to help the war effort, mainly Guy finds himself in a time of confusion and retreat. After drifting on an open boat until delirious and dehydrated he finds himself again back in London, which is where he ends his circle at the end of the book.
I think it is just about impossible to think of another author who conjours up the reality of war with such dry humour and such a humane and likeable hero as Guy Crouchback. The characters are simply brilliantly written - Deputy Commander Major 'Fido' Hound stumbling blearily around Crete, selling his soul for a few mouthfuls of food, is a tragic and touching moment in a book which is filled with such scenes which need no embellishment or over sentimentality to make their point. Again we meet Virginia Troy, who has made another conquest in the hapless Trimmer, who becomes a hero on paper if not in reality. From the Scottish nationalist great niece of Colonel Hector Campbell of Mugg to the delightfully vague Mrs Algernon Stitch, partying in Alexandria as though the war were beyond her, the world Evelyn Waugh conjours up is both completely over the top and yet also known intimately to us. For those who wish to read on, and I assure you that you will want to follow Guy Crouchback's war to the end, the third volume is Unconditional Surrender: The Conclusion of Men at Arms and Officers and Gentlemen.
September 5, 2021
I happened to read this against the backdrop of the collapse of the US/NATO campaign in Afghanistan, with which it was impossible not to see strong parallels. This second instalment in the Sword of Honour trilogy is more overtly satirical than the first, as a result of which there are a few more scenes of unambiguously ridiculous, shameful or self defeating behaviour. Overall though the tone is broadly the same, which is to say incredibly bleak but also sympathetic to a group of people who for the most part are doing their best within a futile, miserable situation for which they are hopelessly ill equipped.
September 4, 2025
Officers and Gentlemen by Evelyn Waugh – one of the top ten favorite authors of the undersigned http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/u...?
9 out of 10
Yuval Harari is one of the most important thinkers of our age, the author of a few fabulous books and many articles – a recent one in The Economist, published just ahead of the Russian invasion, proved clairvoyant at least in one way, when predicting that defense budgets will rise, and that if Putin will push hard, we may face a very vicious negative spiral, where the peace that seemed to be established after World War II would be replaced by increased tensions, the fear of smaller states that bigger ones could cross their borders, more money for armament, then neighbors will also see the pressure and Climate Change will be neglected in the face of this new, existential crisis (in fact, Kremlin Shorty has repeatedly talked about his nuclear weapons, paranoid knave that he is, afflicted by the Napoleon complex and more) and we could well end up in a place where, if we do not see civilization ended through atomic apocalypse, then it will nevertheless sign off due to the Armageddon of rising sea levels and temperatures…
However, there is optimism in Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow by iconic Yuval Harari, which is there in the title http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/h... the luminary looks at the progress made by science and predicts that people will become Gods aka Deus, for mortality can be treated as a technical problem, life expectancy has been rocketing in modern times, we already know much of what we need to do to prolong life – in the latest issue of The Economist, a Special Repot on Wearables looks at the huge impact that smart watches, special rings, bands and other such clever devices have and the way they will measure heart rates (better, for they have already been doing that for years) glucose levels, signal danger of heart attacks, make people exercise more and impact health care in many ways – and in the future, humans will live forever…well, close to two hundred anyway
Ikigai is a Japanese word which means meaning of life, but it is also a concept that has been studied http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/i... and the Japanese that live on Okinawa give us lessons on what it takes to go beyond one hundred, keeping active being on the most important elements, to which we need to associate eating less – they rise from the table when they are only eighty percent full – meat very rarely, a variety of vegetables in fruit – applying the rainbow selection, which means picking all the colors and enjoying the many nutrients, vitamins that come from a wide selection – keeping connections with friends – studies of the happiest people on the planet have shown that they do not have big fortunes, but they share strong bonds with family and friends…
This reader thought of Homo Deus and immortality in connection with Officers and Gentlemen, with the notion that this novel will be on the list of books to read, if…we reach immortality, otherwise, there are so many other masterpieces that Officers will only make it on Realini’s 4,000 Books to Read if You Live Forever http://realini.blogspot.com/ and when in heaven, which would be some terrestrial paradise that will enjoy peace, equanimity, palm trees – ‘Tu refleuriras Dans un élysée’ – beautiful gardens…
This brings us to one of the myths of happiness – there are many deceptions, not only connected with merriment, take the Richard III fallacy, the notion that he was the monster depicted by William Shakespeare, something debunked in The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/10/t... - which has most people Dream of California – mentioning the same The Economist again, data for the past years shows that people have actually been living the state in bigger numbers than those who chose to settle there – only to find that if they move there, they are not happier, due to a phenomenon called Hedonic Adaptation.
In his majestic, quintessential Stumbling On Happiness http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/s... Harvard Professor Daniel Gilbert explains how we think we would be happier if only various scenarios were to happen, from moving to California to Pacific or Caribbean islands, and when there, power cuts, enormous electricity bills, wild fires, draughts or hurricanes make us see that Paradise is not exactly what we expected, hence one of the rules is to lower your expectations, which is something I needed to do before starting on Officers and Gentlemen, a good enough book in itself, but not when compared with other Evelyn Waugh magnum opera, including the first part in the trilogy, Men at Arms…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/04/m... Men at Arms looks at the horror of war, but there is also the necessary humor – if humans contemplate only tragedy, bloodshed, terror, they will end up in mental institutions – which may happen to Guy Crouchback – but we need strategies to Cope with Adversity and Trauma – find guidance in the How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/t... - and one of them would be to laugh…just like in the war in Ukraine, there is the monstrosity of the Kremlin Shorty and his goons, but we can also take some solace from the bravery of the Ukrainians, who have been incredibly successful in stopping the invaders so far and let them keep at it, Insha’Allah!
The humor in the war next door comes from the tanks pulled by tractors, babushkas telling the aggressors to get lost, there is that valiant lady who talks about the sunflower seeds that the enemy needs to put in his pockets, so that something useful can grow, once he is dead and in the ground, then the troops on Snake Island – here we need to stop and say that we had had some contentious issues with Ukraine, one of them was this very island, and then at one point, they had started making some messy moves in the Danube Delta, but hey, that is not water under the bridge and we need not say look, Ukraine, you had acted like the big bully and not they are doing it to you, we have to look at what is happening and support Ukraine and condemn The Kremlin Shorty, who tries to copy Chili Palmer from Get Shorty by the Dickens of Detroit, Elmore Leonard, who says ‘I am the one telling you the way it is’ http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/g... ...Officers and Gentlemen has helped me on a practical, funny matter, the question of the name of one of the five kittens that have found refuge in my garden – they cry in the book ‘e scappata la mucca’ which sounded so hilarious and thus, the name of Immanuel (from Kant) became Immanuel Mucca, or in short Imucca…
9 out of 10
Yuval Harari is one of the most important thinkers of our age, the author of a few fabulous books and many articles – a recent one in The Economist, published just ahead of the Russian invasion, proved clairvoyant at least in one way, when predicting that defense budgets will rise, and that if Putin will push hard, we may face a very vicious negative spiral, where the peace that seemed to be established after World War II would be replaced by increased tensions, the fear of smaller states that bigger ones could cross their borders, more money for armament, then neighbors will also see the pressure and Climate Change will be neglected in the face of this new, existential crisis (in fact, Kremlin Shorty has repeatedly talked about his nuclear weapons, paranoid knave that he is, afflicted by the Napoleon complex and more) and we could well end up in a place where, if we do not see civilization ended through atomic apocalypse, then it will nevertheless sign off due to the Armageddon of rising sea levels and temperatures…
However, there is optimism in Homo Deus – A Brief History of Tomorrow by iconic Yuval Harari, which is there in the title http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/02/h... the luminary looks at the progress made by science and predicts that people will become Gods aka Deus, for mortality can be treated as a technical problem, life expectancy has been rocketing in modern times, we already know much of what we need to do to prolong life – in the latest issue of The Economist, a Special Repot on Wearables looks at the huge impact that smart watches, special rings, bands and other such clever devices have and the way they will measure heart rates (better, for they have already been doing that for years) glucose levels, signal danger of heart attacks, make people exercise more and impact health care in many ways – and in the future, humans will live forever…well, close to two hundred anyway
Ikigai is a Japanese word which means meaning of life, but it is also a concept that has been studied http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/03/i... and the Japanese that live on Okinawa give us lessons on what it takes to go beyond one hundred, keeping active being on the most important elements, to which we need to associate eating less – they rise from the table when they are only eighty percent full – meat very rarely, a variety of vegetables in fruit – applying the rainbow selection, which means picking all the colors and enjoying the many nutrients, vitamins that come from a wide selection – keeping connections with friends – studies of the happiest people on the planet have shown that they do not have big fortunes, but they share strong bonds with family and friends…
This reader thought of Homo Deus and immortality in connection with Officers and Gentlemen, with the notion that this novel will be on the list of books to read, if…we reach immortality, otherwise, there are so many other masterpieces that Officers will only make it on Realini’s 4,000 Books to Read if You Live Forever http://realini.blogspot.com/ and when in heaven, which would be some terrestrial paradise that will enjoy peace, equanimity, palm trees – ‘Tu refleuriras Dans un élysée’ – beautiful gardens…
This brings us to one of the myths of happiness – there are many deceptions, not only connected with merriment, take the Richard III fallacy, the notion that he was the monster depicted by William Shakespeare, something debunked in The Daughter of Time by Josephine Tey http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/10/t... - which has most people Dream of California – mentioning the same The Economist again, data for the past years shows that people have actually been living the state in bigger numbers than those who chose to settle there – only to find that if they move there, they are not happier, due to a phenomenon called Hedonic Adaptation.
In his majestic, quintessential Stumbling On Happiness http://realini.blogspot.com/2013/06/s... Harvard Professor Daniel Gilbert explains how we think we would be happier if only various scenarios were to happen, from moving to California to Pacific or Caribbean islands, and when there, power cuts, enormous electricity bills, wild fires, draughts or hurricanes make us see that Paradise is not exactly what we expected, hence one of the rules is to lower your expectations, which is something I needed to do before starting on Officers and Gentlemen, a good enough book in itself, but not when compared with other Evelyn Waugh magnum opera, including the first part in the trilogy, Men at Arms…
http://realini.blogspot.com/2022/04/m... Men at Arms looks at the horror of war, but there is also the necessary humor – if humans contemplate only tragedy, bloodshed, terror, they will end up in mental institutions – which may happen to Guy Crouchback – but we need strategies to Cope with Adversity and Trauma – find guidance in the How of Happiness by Sonja Lyubomirsky http://realini.blogspot.com/2014/07/t... - and one of them would be to laugh…just like in the war in Ukraine, there is the monstrosity of the Kremlin Shorty and his goons, but we can also take some solace from the bravery of the Ukrainians, who have been incredibly successful in stopping the invaders so far and let them keep at it, Insha’Allah!
The humor in the war next door comes from the tanks pulled by tractors, babushkas telling the aggressors to get lost, there is that valiant lady who talks about the sunflower seeds that the enemy needs to put in his pockets, so that something useful can grow, once he is dead and in the ground, then the troops on Snake Island – here we need to stop and say that we had had some contentious issues with Ukraine, one of them was this very island, and then at one point, they had started making some messy moves in the Danube Delta, but hey, that is not water under the bridge and we need not say look, Ukraine, you had acted like the big bully and not they are doing it to you, we have to look at what is happening and support Ukraine and condemn The Kremlin Shorty, who tries to copy Chili Palmer from Get Shorty by the Dickens of Detroit, Elmore Leonard, who says ‘I am the one telling you the way it is’ http://realini.blogspot.com/2020/04/g... ...Officers and Gentlemen has helped me on a practical, funny matter, the question of the name of one of the five kittens that have found refuge in my garden – they cry in the book ‘e scappata la mucca’ which sounded so hilarious and thus, the name of Immanuel (from Kant) became Immanuel Mucca, or in short Imucca…
May 13, 2019
This is the second in a trilogy about the adventures of Guy Crouchback who, although older than the average soldier, wants to fight for his country.
As the blurb says, he has been ousted from his previous company due to some mishap, of which cause was due to his incompetence, and here he is on a Scottish island, in training with another cast of characters who could pass as Keystone Cops or the police force in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. It all seems rather funny, until they go to the island of Crete and put their training to practice. Then the butchery of real war pay its toll. Much of this is due to the idiocy of the leadership, making obtuse decisions.
I'm sure that is an accurate description of Waugh's view of war.
The story line, seemed sketchy to me and tended to bounce from character to character. I felt like I was watching a Soap Opera where the scenes and isolated plots of each character, while interesting and funny, had no connecting thread to each other.
The dialogue and the writing was sharp and witty, but overall, I preferred the first book, Men at Arms.
As the blurb says, he has been ousted from his previous company due to some mishap, of which cause was due to his incompetence, and here he is on a Scottish island, in training with another cast of characters who could pass as Keystone Cops or the police force in Gilbert and Sullivan's Pirates of Penzance. It all seems rather funny, until they go to the island of Crete and put their training to practice. Then the butchery of real war pay its toll. Much of this is due to the idiocy of the leadership, making obtuse decisions.
I'm sure that is an accurate description of Waugh's view of war.
The story line, seemed sketchy to me and tended to bounce from character to character. I felt like I was watching a Soap Opera where the scenes and isolated plots of each character, while interesting and funny, had no connecting thread to each other.
The dialogue and the writing was sharp and witty, but overall, I preferred the first book, Men at Arms.
April 5, 2021
“Alexandria, that asparagus bed of theological absurdity...”
April 5, 2013
Not much to crow about here. I couldn't put down the first book in the "Sword of Honour" trilogy, but this one was kind of "blah". The center-piece of this book is the Evacuation of Crete (or what Waugh's alter ego saw of it). It's no Hemingway-esque "Retreat from Caporetto", but it was relatively engaging in that it conveyed the utter confusion and chaos that must've characterized the event. There was one conversation in the novel about the changing meaning of honor that was very interesting. I suppose it was what Waugh's generation and social class felt about the changes wrought by modern industrial warfare -and the new requirements for personal conduct in combat. Fine book to read from time to time, but not one I'd recommend with burning ardor. I haven't given up on the trilogy though. Looking forward (somewhat) to the last part of the series. Could've used more "Ben Ritchie-Hook".
January 22, 2015
The social rules applying to gentlemen may transfer to training camp, but they don't always transfer to the battlefield. The most random mishaps occur, nothing goes as planned, sometimes there isn't any plan, at other times the plan is really stupid, and gentlemen don't always behave like gentlemen. The main point of the book (at least as far as I can tell) gets summed up in the main character's mind as he is convalescing from a traumatic experience during the British withdrawal from Crete: "He had a sense, too, that all war consisted in causing trouble without much hope of advantage." As usual, Waugh makes this point with a lot of subtle humor. Some of it too subtle for me to understand, no doubt.
July 28, 2020
ENGLISH: In May 1941, the war was going clearly well for Nazi Germany and quite badly for the British Army. A good part of the novel describes the evacuation of Crete a little later than the fall of Greece. As Waugh says in the dedication, the story is pure fiction, in the sense that it's based on the author's experience, but the persons, units, commandos, etcetera, are not identifiable with the real persons and units involved in that situation.
There is an interesting cross-reference to "Brideshead Revisited" in the address where the HOO HQ is located and the protagonist is called to be provided with his next appointment: Marchmain House in St. James, the London home of the Marchmain (Flyte) family.
ESPAÑOL: En mayo de 1941, la guerra iba claramente bien para la Alemania nazi y bastante mal para el ejército británico. Una parte de la novela describe la evacuación de Creta, algo después de la caída de Grecia. Como dice Waugh en la dedicatoria, la historia es pura ficción, en el sentido de que se basa en la experiencia del autor, pero las personas, unidades, comandos, etc., no se pueden identificar con las personas y unidades reales involucradas en aquella situación.
Hay una interesante referencia cruzada a la novela "Brideshead Revisited" en la dirección donde se aloja el Cuartel General de HOO, a donde hacen presentarse al protagonista para proporcionarle su próximo nombramiento: Marchmain House en St. James, la morada en Londres de la familia Flyte.
There is an interesting cross-reference to "Brideshead Revisited" in the address where the HOO HQ is located and the protagonist is called to be provided with his next appointment: Marchmain House in St. James, the London home of the Marchmain (Flyte) family.
ESPAÑOL: En mayo de 1941, la guerra iba claramente bien para la Alemania nazi y bastante mal para el ejército británico. Una parte de la novela describe la evacuación de Creta, algo después de la caída de Grecia. Como dice Waugh en la dedicatoria, la historia es pura ficción, en el sentido de que se basa en la experiencia del autor, pero las personas, unidades, comandos, etc., no se pueden identificar con las personas y unidades reales involucradas en aquella situación.
Hay una interesante referencia cruzada a la novela "Brideshead Revisited" en la dirección donde se aloja el Cuartel General de HOO, a donde hacen presentarse al protagonista para proporcionarle su próximo nombramiento: Marchmain House en St. James, la morada en Londres de la familia Flyte.
November 22, 2024
While not as humorous as the first book, Officers and Gentlemen still had its moments of laughter. The absurdities of army life remain timeless and continue to entertain
December 30, 2024
For me, this is the best book of the Sword of Honour trilogy. The story-line and many of the characters continue on from the first book, Men at Arms , so it is set in the war years, with the poor Guy Crouchback as the protagonist, forever being denied his wish for some meaningful action and forever being reprimanded quite unjustly.
There were many points in the book which reminded me strongly of Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 . The latter was published in 1961, Officers and Gentlemen in 1955, and the last of Waugh’s trilogy, Unconditional Surrender, also in 1961. Both books contain a plethora of absurd situations. In Officers and Gentlemen , these absurdities arrive at a more rapid pace than they do in the other two parts of the trilogy.
At the opening of the book, Guy is in London where the blitz is well and truly under way, and he watches Turtle’s Club burning: “On the pavement opposite Turtle’s a group of progressive novelists in firemen’s uniform were squirting a little jet of water into the morning-room.” When he enters the intact and crowded Bellamy’s club, he is at the billiard table and recognizes he has stepped on a man’s hand. He later finds that the hand was the Air Marshall’s; this individual dives under the table whenever there is an air-raid warning, because standing orders are for all men to take cover whenever a warning sounds. No one else takes any action but he feels that, as a senior officer, he should set the right example. Perhaps there is a little self-preservation at work as well?
Guy is instructed to report to a secret location for a debrief or reprimand as a result of the disastrous mission initiated contrary to orders off west Africa by Brigadier Ritchie-Hook, in which Guy had played an obedient and gallant role. The adjutant and the sergeant-major have a long discussion on how to inform Guy of the address of the meeting: it cannot be written down since it is on the Most Secret list. Eventually, they agree to send a colonel to take him in person to the address. “‘Jumbo’ Trotter, as his nickname suggested, was both ponderous and popular; he retired with the rank of full colonel in 1936. Within an hour of the declaration of war he was back in barracks and there he had sat ever since. No one had summoned him. No one cared to question his presence. His age and rank rendered him valueless for barrack duties. He dozed over the newspapers, lumbered round the billiard-table, beamed on his juniors’ scrimmages on Guest Nights, and regularly attended Church Parade. Now and then he expressed a wish to ‘have a go at the Jerries’. Mostly he slept.” The colonel never travels without his bedding and so it is decided to give him a car and driver. Just after they have left, the adjutant realises it would have been more straightforward to instruct Guy to go to them and be given the address by hand.
During his extended sojourn in London, Jumbo encounters a major who used to be his drill-sergeant and quietly observes, “‘Extraordinary system taking first-rate NCOs and making second-rate officers of them.’”
Guy is, as earlier requested by the dying Apthorpe, gathering together the latter’s arcane and eclectic belongings so as to take them to the designated, unsuspecting inheritor. This proves to be a massive load, much too large for their car. So Jumbo, assuming Guy is on a secret mission, organises an army truck. All of this with Britain fighting a war undermanned and under-equipped.
By and large, Waugh allows the absurdity of the situations he sets up as being able in themselves to carry the satire.
From time to time, though, he inserts some commentary: “that bizarre product of total war which later was to proliferate through five acres of valuable London property, engrossing the simple high staff officers of all the Services with experts, charlatans, plain lunatics and every unemployed member of the British Communist Party.” Several times in the trilogy Waugh refers to the various non-combatants, “progressive writers” or communists who are thrust into assorted paramedical or emergency roles where their major visible characteristic is their indifference.
The “product of total war” was the HOO, the Hazardous Offensive Operations which mistakenly sends Guy to a Scottish island, Mugg.
Waugh develops some lovely eccentric characters, one, Ivo Claire is gorgeously introduced in the local hotel: “At three o’clock he found it empty except for a Captain of the Blues who reclined upon a sofa, his head enveloped in a turban of lint, his feet shod in narrow velvet slippers embroidered in gold thread with his monogram. He was nursing a white pekinese; beside him stood a glass of white liqueur./ The sofa was upholstered in Turkey carpet. The table which held the glass and bottle was octagonal, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The pictorial effect was of a young prince of the Near East in his grand divan in the early years of the century. Guy recognises Ivo as a former elegantly skilful show-jumper; however his war service is not as accomplished. Waugh plays around with his narrative perspective: “Soon, as in an old-fashioned, well-constructed comedy, other characters began to enter Left: first a medical officer… an enormous Grenadier Captain in the tradition of comedy hustled into the hall. ”
There is some havoc at this time when Captain Sir Angus Anstruther-Kerr is stretchered out after a climbing accident, and the other residents show little interest in his injuries as they rush to claim his now vacated room but find it already taken by Guy. The man who is to receive Apthorpe’s bequest is “Chatty Corner” who has been delegated to provide instruction in mountain-climbing, despite his having never been a mountaineer and knowing nothing of rocks or ice. The consequence is regular climbing casualties.
Trimmer, who appeared in Men at Arms is also here, but is now known as Alistair McTavish and wears the full kilt regalia. We eventually find that he was originally a hairdresser on cruises, where he met Guy’s former wife, Virginia, one of the clients he especially cosseted. By the end of the story, he will be a war hero, his achievements having been completely misinterpreted and then used for war-PR, with part of his appeal to the newspapers being that he came from humble beginnings which supposedly obstructed his advancement in the elitist forces. This story is created by Lord Copper of the Daily Beast , familiar to readers of Scoop .
Perhaps the finest writing in Officers and Gentlemen comes when his friend Tommy (who had, of course, been the man for whom Virginia left Guy, only to leave Tommy soon after for another beau) insists Guy accompanies him to a dinner invitation with Colonel Hector Campbell of Mugg, who is eccentric and partially deaf. Mugg and his ancestral residence are superbly described. They eat in a great hall, along with their “six dogs, ranging in size from a couple of deerhounds to an almost hairless pomeranian, as well as a piper who intervenes from time to time. “The laird looked at Guy, decided the distance between them was insurmountable and contentedly splashed about in his soup.” “Fish appeared. Colonel Campbell was silent while he ate, got into trouble with some bones, buried his head in his napkin, took out his teeth and at last got himself to rights./ ‘Mugg finds fish very difficult nowadays,’ said Mrs Campbell during this process.”
Mugg is hoping to get the army to blow up a troublesome piece of his land. Trimmer/McTavish is to be involved in the secret undertaking, but the submarine transporting them to the site gets lost.
Meanwhile, Guy is suspected of complicity in an anti-war campaign, and of collaborating with an Egyptian spy. More black marks. Then there is another disastrous action, this one in Italy, Cyprus and Croatia, ending up with Guy joining an escape in a boat and arriving unconscious.
Towards the end of the book, Evelyn Waugh sets up a moral conundrum, which is really not in the same register as the rest of the parodying satire. Ivo has not behaved well and the three characters who become involved have very different perspectives. Julia Stitch helps Ivo: “For Julia Stitch there was no problem. An old friend was in trouble. Rally round. Tommy had his constant guide in the precept: never cause trouble except for positive preponderant advantage. In the fields, if Ivor or anyone else were endangering a position, Tommy would have had no compunction in shooting him out of hand. This was another matter./ Perhaps in later years when Tommy met Ivor in Bellamy’s he might be a shade less cordial than of old. But to instigate a court-martial on a capital charge was inconceivable; in the narrowest view it would cause endless professional annoyance and delay; in the widest it would lend comfort to the enemy./ Guy lacked these simple rules of conduct. He had no old love for Ivor, no liking at all, for the man who had been his friend had proved to be an illusion. He had a sense, too, that all war consisted in causing trouble without much hope of advantage.”
So, in amongst the mockery of military incompetence, we encounter this quite searching examination of people’s differing ethical perspectives. Satire is, of course, not just for laughing; it is for tricking people into thinking about difficult matters. The event that had most impact on me was perhaps when Guy took the identity disc from a soldier’s corpse so that the man’s family might be informed of his death. He gave the disc to Julia Stitch but, as soon as he has left, she throws it in the bin. A simple decision, a simple action from an amoral agent which deprives a soldier’s relatives of the knowledge of his fate.
Officers and Gentlemen could reasonably be considered Evelyn Waugh’s most consistently impressive novel.
There were many points in the book which reminded me strongly of Joseph Heller’s Catch 22 . The latter was published in 1961, Officers and Gentlemen in 1955, and the last of Waugh’s trilogy, Unconditional Surrender, also in 1961. Both books contain a plethora of absurd situations. In Officers and Gentlemen , these absurdities arrive at a more rapid pace than they do in the other two parts of the trilogy.
At the opening of the book, Guy is in London where the blitz is well and truly under way, and he watches Turtle’s Club burning: “On the pavement opposite Turtle’s a group of progressive novelists in firemen’s uniform were squirting a little jet of water into the morning-room.” When he enters the intact and crowded Bellamy’s club, he is at the billiard table and recognizes he has stepped on a man’s hand. He later finds that the hand was the Air Marshall’s; this individual dives under the table whenever there is an air-raid warning, because standing orders are for all men to take cover whenever a warning sounds. No one else takes any action but he feels that, as a senior officer, he should set the right example. Perhaps there is a little self-preservation at work as well?
Guy is instructed to report to a secret location for a debrief or reprimand as a result of the disastrous mission initiated contrary to orders off west Africa by Brigadier Ritchie-Hook, in which Guy had played an obedient and gallant role. The adjutant and the sergeant-major have a long discussion on how to inform Guy of the address of the meeting: it cannot be written down since it is on the Most Secret list. Eventually, they agree to send a colonel to take him in person to the address. “‘Jumbo’ Trotter, as his nickname suggested, was both ponderous and popular; he retired with the rank of full colonel in 1936. Within an hour of the declaration of war he was back in barracks and there he had sat ever since. No one had summoned him. No one cared to question his presence. His age and rank rendered him valueless for barrack duties. He dozed over the newspapers, lumbered round the billiard-table, beamed on his juniors’ scrimmages on Guest Nights, and regularly attended Church Parade. Now and then he expressed a wish to ‘have a go at the Jerries’. Mostly he slept.” The colonel never travels without his bedding and so it is decided to give him a car and driver. Just after they have left, the adjutant realises it would have been more straightforward to instruct Guy to go to them and be given the address by hand.
During his extended sojourn in London, Jumbo encounters a major who used to be his drill-sergeant and quietly observes, “‘Extraordinary system taking first-rate NCOs and making second-rate officers of them.’”
Guy is, as earlier requested by the dying Apthorpe, gathering together the latter’s arcane and eclectic belongings so as to take them to the designated, unsuspecting inheritor. This proves to be a massive load, much too large for their car. So Jumbo, assuming Guy is on a secret mission, organises an army truck. All of this with Britain fighting a war undermanned and under-equipped.
By and large, Waugh allows the absurdity of the situations he sets up as being able in themselves to carry the satire.
From time to time, though, he inserts some commentary: “that bizarre product of total war which later was to proliferate through five acres of valuable London property, engrossing the simple high staff officers of all the Services with experts, charlatans, plain lunatics and every unemployed member of the British Communist Party.” Several times in the trilogy Waugh refers to the various non-combatants, “progressive writers” or communists who are thrust into assorted paramedical or emergency roles where their major visible characteristic is their indifference.
The “product of total war” was the HOO, the Hazardous Offensive Operations which mistakenly sends Guy to a Scottish island, Mugg.
Waugh develops some lovely eccentric characters, one, Ivo Claire is gorgeously introduced in the local hotel: “At three o’clock he found it empty except for a Captain of the Blues who reclined upon a sofa, his head enveloped in a turban of lint, his feet shod in narrow velvet slippers embroidered in gold thread with his monogram. He was nursing a white pekinese; beside him stood a glass of white liqueur./ The sofa was upholstered in Turkey carpet. The table which held the glass and bottle was octagonal, inlaid with mother-of-pearl. The pictorial effect was of a young prince of the Near East in his grand divan in the early years of the century. Guy recognises Ivo as a former elegantly skilful show-jumper; however his war service is not as accomplished. Waugh plays around with his narrative perspective: “Soon, as in an old-fashioned, well-constructed comedy, other characters began to enter Left: first a medical officer… an enormous Grenadier Captain in the tradition of comedy hustled into the hall. ”
There is some havoc at this time when Captain Sir Angus Anstruther-Kerr is stretchered out after a climbing accident, and the other residents show little interest in his injuries as they rush to claim his now vacated room but find it already taken by Guy. The man who is to receive Apthorpe’s bequest is “Chatty Corner” who has been delegated to provide instruction in mountain-climbing, despite his having never been a mountaineer and knowing nothing of rocks or ice. The consequence is regular climbing casualties.
Trimmer, who appeared in Men at Arms is also here, but is now known as Alistair McTavish and wears the full kilt regalia. We eventually find that he was originally a hairdresser on cruises, where he met Guy’s former wife, Virginia, one of the clients he especially cosseted. By the end of the story, he will be a war hero, his achievements having been completely misinterpreted and then used for war-PR, with part of his appeal to the newspapers being that he came from humble beginnings which supposedly obstructed his advancement in the elitist forces. This story is created by Lord Copper of the Daily Beast , familiar to readers of Scoop .
Perhaps the finest writing in Officers and Gentlemen comes when his friend Tommy (who had, of course, been the man for whom Virginia left Guy, only to leave Tommy soon after for another beau) insists Guy accompanies him to a dinner invitation with Colonel Hector Campbell of Mugg, who is eccentric and partially deaf. Mugg and his ancestral residence are superbly described. They eat in a great hall, along with their “six dogs, ranging in size from a couple of deerhounds to an almost hairless pomeranian, as well as a piper who intervenes from time to time. “The laird looked at Guy, decided the distance between them was insurmountable and contentedly splashed about in his soup.” “Fish appeared. Colonel Campbell was silent while he ate, got into trouble with some bones, buried his head in his napkin, took out his teeth and at last got himself to rights./ ‘Mugg finds fish very difficult nowadays,’ said Mrs Campbell during this process.”
Mugg is hoping to get the army to blow up a troublesome piece of his land. Trimmer/McTavish is to be involved in the secret undertaking, but the submarine transporting them to the site gets lost.
Meanwhile, Guy is suspected of complicity in an anti-war campaign, and of collaborating with an Egyptian spy. More black marks. Then there is another disastrous action, this one in Italy, Cyprus and Croatia, ending up with Guy joining an escape in a boat and arriving unconscious.
Towards the end of the book, Evelyn Waugh sets up a moral conundrum, which is really not in the same register as the rest of the parodying satire. Ivo has not behaved well and the three characters who become involved have very different perspectives. Julia Stitch helps Ivo: “For Julia Stitch there was no problem. An old friend was in trouble. Rally round. Tommy had his constant guide in the precept: never cause trouble except for positive preponderant advantage. In the fields, if Ivor or anyone else were endangering a position, Tommy would have had no compunction in shooting him out of hand. This was another matter./ Perhaps in later years when Tommy met Ivor in Bellamy’s he might be a shade less cordial than of old. But to instigate a court-martial on a capital charge was inconceivable; in the narrowest view it would cause endless professional annoyance and delay; in the widest it would lend comfort to the enemy./ Guy lacked these simple rules of conduct. He had no old love for Ivor, no liking at all, for the man who had been his friend had proved to be an illusion. He had a sense, too, that all war consisted in causing trouble without much hope of advantage.”
So, in amongst the mockery of military incompetence, we encounter this quite searching examination of people’s differing ethical perspectives. Satire is, of course, not just for laughing; it is for tricking people into thinking about difficult matters. The event that had most impact on me was perhaps when Guy took the identity disc from a soldier’s corpse so that the man’s family might be informed of his death. He gave the disc to Julia Stitch but, as soon as he has left, she throws it in the bin. A simple decision, a simple action from an amoral agent which deprives a soldier’s relatives of the knowledge of his fate.
Officers and Gentlemen could reasonably be considered Evelyn Waugh’s most consistently impressive novel.
March 16, 2020
Not nearly as funny as Men at Arms, but twice as bitter.
Incidentally: there is a special predilection of some (most?) English writers, when writing about WWII, to describe hesitation, defeat, withdrawl. Maybe that is what makes it a great country.
Incidentally: there is a special predilection of some (most?) English writers, when writing about WWII, to describe hesitation, defeat, withdrawl. Maybe that is what makes it a great country.
January 21, 2022
the tragedy continues...
now with bloodthirsty communist allies!
also introducing impossibly stupid and/or hopelessly cowardly officers!
now with bloodthirsty communist allies!
also introducing impossibly stupid and/or hopelessly cowardly officers!
July 1, 2017
Having just finished the three books of the Sword of Honour trilogy in a row, it strikes me that Evelyn Waugh is an author for adults, not just for grown-ups - if that makes sense. His work is intelligent, inventive, unpredictable, with a subtle, cynical wit. He never takes his characters too seriously; in fact he is mostly sending them up most of the time.
Of course, as a writer of war fiction he has the great advantage of having been there, smelled the smell of battle, and so on. But the three books really have little to do with fighting in one sense - certainly not much to do with combat. There is really nothing in the way of tossing grenades and dodging machine gun bullets, as in most war novels. On Waugh’s front line the troops are mainly suffering from exhaustion and delirium brought about from lack of sleep and water, and from extreme disorganisation. Indeed Waugh’s series, as far as it addresses military life, is mainly about the pomposity, the incompetence, the class quirks that he observed in the British Army during his time in it.
His hero Guy Crouchback - one assumes he is a stand-in for Waugh himself - is someone who seems to have a sense of alienation and distance from much that goes on around him. While closely involved with the compatriots with whom he serves, and with whom he rubs shoulders at his gentleman’s club in St James’s, he is always aloof and detached. The name ‘Crouchback’ itself hints at this reticence and reserve.
In view of the depiction of Crouchback’s wife Virginia (the name is clearly ironic as she is anything but virginal), a person can only guess at the relation to Waugh’s own first wife, or at his opinion of society women in general. She is something of a Madame Bovary/Anna Karenina figure, as well as reminding me of Brett, Lady Ashley in The Sun Also Rises. She is untrammelled by morals or concern for others feelings, and Guy spends much of the story reeling in a way, from the injury to his pride or his heart, pained by his cuckolded status.
Underlying the writing are the unforced traces of education and erudition, travel and worldliness that were the hallmarks of Waugh’s life.
It makes me regret that I never went to Oxford - or anything remotely like it, never had aristocratic friends to inwardly mock, never travelled the world as a journalist like Waugh and Greene and others, and never had a mental breakdown. Oh wait, I have had that.
Certainly far from action-packed or a blood-and-guts depiction of war, nevertheless probably one of the closest to the truth of war, of any novel I’ve read.
Of course, as a writer of war fiction he has the great advantage of having been there, smelled the smell of battle, and so on. But the three books really have little to do with fighting in one sense - certainly not much to do with combat. There is really nothing in the way of tossing grenades and dodging machine gun bullets, as in most war novels. On Waugh’s front line the troops are mainly suffering from exhaustion and delirium brought about from lack of sleep and water, and from extreme disorganisation. Indeed Waugh’s series, as far as it addresses military life, is mainly about the pomposity, the incompetence, the class quirks that he observed in the British Army during his time in it.
His hero Guy Crouchback - one assumes he is a stand-in for Waugh himself - is someone who seems to have a sense of alienation and distance from much that goes on around him. While closely involved with the compatriots with whom he serves, and with whom he rubs shoulders at his gentleman’s club in St James’s, he is always aloof and detached. The name ‘Crouchback’ itself hints at this reticence and reserve.
In view of the depiction of Crouchback’s wife Virginia (the name is clearly ironic as she is anything but virginal), a person can only guess at the relation to Waugh’s own first wife, or at his opinion of society women in general. She is something of a Madame Bovary/Anna Karenina figure, as well as reminding me of Brett, Lady Ashley in The Sun Also Rises. She is untrammelled by morals or concern for others feelings, and Guy spends much of the story reeling in a way, from the injury to his pride or his heart, pained by his cuckolded status.
Underlying the writing are the unforced traces of education and erudition, travel and worldliness that were the hallmarks of Waugh’s life.
It makes me regret that I never went to Oxford - or anything remotely like it, never had aristocratic friends to inwardly mock, never travelled the world as a journalist like Waugh and Greene and others, and never had a mental breakdown. Oh wait, I have had that.
Certainly far from action-packed or a blood-and-guts depiction of war, nevertheless probably one of the closest to the truth of war, of any novel I’ve read.
March 20, 2018
Officers and Gentlemen is the second book of Evelyn Waugh's "Sword of Honour" trilogy, and my favorite (I've since read the third). His semi-autobiographical subject is British officers in 1940-41, but don't expect the World War II stories that you know and love from this book. The first half (roughly) deals with training, logistics, and all manner of shady activities among a "Commando" force preparing for combat. The second half deals with the Battle of Crete, an inglorious and largely forgotten British defeat.
Waugh's approach to the subject is a wry but not quite cynical realism. He isn't at all invested in the triumphalist narrative of the war, and he squeezes plenty of humor and pathos alike out of wartime absurdities. His focus isn't combat itself so much as the bureaucracy, confusion, cowardice, greed, and overall dysfunction that occurs behind the scenes. Most of the major characters, including the protagonist, are upper-class Englishmen serving as officers, and the juxtaposition of the two roles often plays out in unexpected ways-- hence the title. In the end it's more a sad book than a funny one. Actually, it's more that it's sad and funny all at once, and meaningful in an unmistakable but hard-to-define way.
Lots of experts point to Officers and Gentlemen as a brilliant example of modern English prose-- and though I'm no expert, I got some sense of what they meant. Waugh has a kind of understated style. He writes with direct, not-too-dramatic statements, but he gets a lot of mileage out of them thanks to the way he picks words and positions phrases. In a lot of cases I felt like there was some point or joke going over my head-- which in part is not being familiar with the setting, but in part is also reflecting Waugh's subtlety.
Overall Officers and Gentlemen was an enjoyable and rewarding read. I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the trilogy as a whole-- the first and third books don't pack quite the same punch-- but I can tell that Waugh's reputation as a writer is deserved, and in Officers and Gentlemen that really shines through.
Waugh's approach to the subject is a wry but not quite cynical realism. He isn't at all invested in the triumphalist narrative of the war, and he squeezes plenty of humor and pathos alike out of wartime absurdities. His focus isn't combat itself so much as the bureaucracy, confusion, cowardice, greed, and overall dysfunction that occurs behind the scenes. Most of the major characters, including the protagonist, are upper-class Englishmen serving as officers, and the juxtaposition of the two roles often plays out in unexpected ways-- hence the title. In the end it's more a sad book than a funny one. Actually, it's more that it's sad and funny all at once, and meaningful in an unmistakable but hard-to-define way.
Lots of experts point to Officers and Gentlemen as a brilliant example of modern English prose-- and though I'm no expert, I got some sense of what they meant. Waugh has a kind of understated style. He writes with direct, not-too-dramatic statements, but he gets a lot of mileage out of them thanks to the way he picks words and positions phrases. In a lot of cases I felt like there was some point or joke going over my head-- which in part is not being familiar with the setting, but in part is also reflecting Waugh's subtlety.
Overall Officers and Gentlemen was an enjoyable and rewarding read. I'm not quite as enthusiastic about the trilogy as a whole-- the first and third books don't pack quite the same punch-- but I can tell that Waugh's reputation as a writer is deserved, and in Officers and Gentlemen that really shines through.
August 1, 2017
On "Officers and Gentlemen" by Evelyn Waugh ***
The second book in the Sword of Honor trilogy takes quite some time getting going. It follows Guy Crouchback as he moves into active service. But it also follows a number of other characters, both at home and abroad. As such, at times, I found it hard to follow, not because the writing is dense but because I just wasn't pulled forward enough to care.
Near the start, we learn that Crouchback's nephew has become a prisoner of war. His father schemes to keep his two-bedroom residence out of the service of army officers quartering in England. And Guy himself is on a mission to hunt down his dead friend Apthorpe's goods to distribute them according to his will/desire. We run into Guy's old wife and several army friends of his. There's a subplot about Guy maybe being a spy (based solely on misunderstandings) that never gets developed. There's a neat little segment where a man who fails in his mission gets promoted after the army dresses up what happened in its best language. In this absurdist and humorous sense, the book seems much like Catch-22; but unlike that book, this book doesn't for the most part seem to have as much gravitas. I didn't find myself caring that much about the characters or being sideswiped by sudden, shocking violence, until near the end.
I suppose Waugh is aiming for a climax, which is why the plot seems to kick in in the last hundred pages, when Crouchback, after being reassigned from his old unit to a commando unit, now as a communications officer, goes on a mission to Crete, where the troops beat a hasty retreat and Crouchback's own unit is left deserted--to surrender. More happens after that (we learn why they were left, for example), of course, as there is a third book and more war adventures to come.
The second book in the Sword of Honor trilogy takes quite some time getting going. It follows Guy Crouchback as he moves into active service. But it also follows a number of other characters, both at home and abroad. As such, at times, I found it hard to follow, not because the writing is dense but because I just wasn't pulled forward enough to care.
Near the start, we learn that Crouchback's nephew has become a prisoner of war. His father schemes to keep his two-bedroom residence out of the service of army officers quartering in England. And Guy himself is on a mission to hunt down his dead friend Apthorpe's goods to distribute them according to his will/desire. We run into Guy's old wife and several army friends of his. There's a subplot about Guy maybe being a spy (based solely on misunderstandings) that never gets developed. There's a neat little segment where a man who fails in his mission gets promoted after the army dresses up what happened in its best language. In this absurdist and humorous sense, the book seems much like Catch-22; but unlike that book, this book doesn't for the most part seem to have as much gravitas. I didn't find myself caring that much about the characters or being sideswiped by sudden, shocking violence, until near the end.
I suppose Waugh is aiming for a climax, which is why the plot seems to kick in in the last hundred pages, when Crouchback, after being reassigned from his old unit to a commando unit, now as a communications officer, goes on a mission to Crete, where the troops beat a hasty retreat and Crouchback's own unit is left deserted--to surrender. More happens after that (we learn why they were left, for example), of course, as there is a third book and more war adventures to come.
September 3, 2011
A book of 2 distinct halves: the first is much more of the same, following Guy Crouchback's military exploits and peppered with the delightfully arcane and ludicrous. With introductions to Trimmer/McTavish and the superb oyster-eyed Corporal Major Ludovic, the remainder of the cast pulls through from Men at Arms.
The 2nd half of the book is altogether darker and brutally compelling as Guy and the men of X Commando stumble in to the last days of the calamitous and shambolic British collapse in Crete.
Waugh captures the sense of the time superbly and his wonderfully accurate depiction of the British Army in all its glorious chaos loses absolutely nothing by the injection of wicked, black farce.
I was stunned by the hideous socialite Julia Stich's final action in this book - but loved the introduction of the Corporal Major ...
Jumbo gazed before him, sadly, tolerantly, considering the inadequacy of No. X Commando.
'You know,' he said, 'they've issued NCOs with binoculars?'
'Yes.'
'I call that unnecessary. And I'll tell you something. There's one of them - Claire's CSM - queer looking fellow with pink eyes - they call him a "Corporal-Major" I believe. I overheard him the other day refer to these binoculars of his as his "opera glasses". Well I mean to say ...
Quite!
The 2nd half of the book is altogether darker and brutally compelling as Guy and the men of X Commando stumble in to the last days of the calamitous and shambolic British collapse in Crete.
Waugh captures the sense of the time superbly and his wonderfully accurate depiction of the British Army in all its glorious chaos loses absolutely nothing by the injection of wicked, black farce.
I was stunned by the hideous socialite Julia Stich's final action in this book - but loved the introduction of the Corporal Major ...
Jumbo gazed before him, sadly, tolerantly, considering the inadequacy of No. X Commando.
'You know,' he said, 'they've issued NCOs with binoculars?'
'Yes.'
'I call that unnecessary. And I'll tell you something. There's one of them - Claire's CSM - queer looking fellow with pink eyes - they call him a "Corporal-Major" I believe. I overheard him the other day refer to these binoculars of his as his "opera glasses". Well I mean to say ...
Quite!
January 9, 2014
I thoroughly enjoyed this novel by one of my favorite authors. This book did not disappoint. Waugh's satirical views of the army and culture are as sharp as ever in this story. His ability to craft phrases is so special that I want to read paragraphs over instead of moving on in the book. In this story, the protagonist is, like many of Waugh's other protagonists, somewhat woeful, pathetic and unlike the traditional hero of a story in other books. Guy wants desperately to alter his failed life so far by joining the army at the start of the war to be able to say he was someone. He has lost his family estate, his wife and his direction in life. Though older than most, he haplessly finds a way into an ancient line of fighting men (who are more concerned with the image of fighting men than actually fighting) and spends the first part of the war training and moving around England with his regiment awaiting orders to engage in the war. But every time an order comes through, something goes wrong and the Halbediers are put back on hold.
Other characters are enormously funny and pathetic, yet Guy (called uncle by his mates because he is older) is the most pathetic of all. This is a wonderfully humorous story about a serious time. Waugh is able to play with this humor and not totally offend.
Other characters are enormously funny and pathetic, yet Guy (called uncle by his mates because he is older) is the most pathetic of all. This is a wonderfully humorous story about a serious time. Waugh is able to play with this humor and not totally offend.
May 24, 2018
I didn't like this book at all. the style was all over the place with names and nicknames and way too many characters and stories going on. I got to page 100 and gave up...sorry
January 20, 2015
“Officers and Gentlemen” by Evelyn Waugh (originally published 1955, and book two of what became his Sword of Honour trilogy) continues the tale of Englishman Guy Crouchback, temporary officer, and his part in representing Great Britain in World War II. Once again, threads to Heller’s “Catch 22” and Hooker’s “MASH” are easy connections because of the witty, absurd, and tragic events Crouchback faces.
In this second book of the trilogy, Crouchback begins still in training and once again there is little real fighting – or biffing as they refer to it. Our hero moves from London proper (he is there during the Battle of Britain and the follow-on Blitz), to the Scottish Isle of Mugg (to keep a promise), to Cape Town (for more training and forming a brigade), to Alexandria in North Africa (for outfitting and organizing the brigade), and finally to deployment in Crete (which did not work out so well for the English). All through the narrative Waugh regales us with examples of blunders and absurdities of military life.
Like the first book, this tale is written in classic British stiff-upper-lip prose. It is at once both funny and tragic, and an excellent read.
In this second book of the trilogy, Crouchback begins still in training and once again there is little real fighting – or biffing as they refer to it. Our hero moves from London proper (he is there during the Battle of Britain and the follow-on Blitz), to the Scottish Isle of Mugg (to keep a promise), to Cape Town (for more training and forming a brigade), to Alexandria in North Africa (for outfitting and organizing the brigade), and finally to deployment in Crete (which did not work out so well for the English). All through the narrative Waugh regales us with examples of blunders and absurdities of military life.
Like the first book, this tale is written in classic British stiff-upper-lip prose. It is at once both funny and tragic, and an excellent read.
October 13, 2014
Officers and Gentlemen is more of a classic war story and features http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_o..., which Waugh himself took part in. There are some details of the military action itself, but the book is more concerned with how people behave under pressure. There is much less humour in this book than the first one, as suits its story of the realities of war. Guy and the story become increasingly cynical. There are several side stories which add to the overall theme of how so many people's behaviour falls short of ideal, although his rather lovely elderly father acts impeccably throughout. (I don't think Mr Crouchback is based on Arthur Waugh, although he did die in 1943, perhaps he is more a Father, priest, than a father, parent.) Waugh gives the greater share of blame for the rise of the 'lower orders' to the failure of the officers, leaders, aristocracy, etc. to live up to their responsibilities and high ideals than he does to the lower orders themselves; Trimmer does not set himself up as a hero for example, he follows orders reluctantly and not very competently, and then is set up for media consumption by Ian Kilbannon.
July 18, 2016
Officers And Gentlemen is the second book in Evelyn Waugh's Guy Crouchback trilogy. It's a war series (set during WWII), but more about the fog of war and the characters, than about war itself. In this story, Crouchback is back from a mission in Africa with the Halberdiers and is assigned, as a punishment, to a Commando training unit on an island off Scotland. Eventually they find themselves sent to Alexandria, where they sit and wait and then move on to Crete. Their arrival couldn't be at a worse time, as the Germans have just invaded and the British and allies are being turned back quite effectively. This is the fog of war, men rushing towards the beaches hoping for a ship to take them off the island, troops (the Commandos) moving up the island trying to find out what their mission is; a calamity of actions. I like Guy's straight-forward way of dealing with things, when all about him seems to be going crazy. It's an interesting, satirical look at war. Worth reading. I will try the final book.
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