Fortunes of War is the collective name given to six novels by Olivia Manning, consisting of The Balkan Trilogy and The Levant Trilogy .
The novels describe the experiences of a young married couple, Harriet and Guy Pringle, early in World War II. Guy is attached to an educational establishment in Bucharest when war breaks out, and the couple are forced to leave the country, passing through Athens and ending up in Alexandria, Egypt. Harriet is persuaded to return home by ship, but changes her mind at the last minute and goes to Damascus with friends. Guy, hearing that the ship has been torpedoed, believes her to be dead, but they are reunited in the end.
The novels were adapted for television by the BBC, starring Kenneth Branagh as Guy and Emma Thompson as Harriet. Other stars included Robert Stephens, Alan Bennett and Rupert Graves .
Last updated: 10-11-2005 14:19:19