I Served The King Of England

A whirlwind of comic genius and moving poignancy following the rise and fall of one small, outrageous man, from the Czech Republic's master storyteller.

'Our very best writer today' Milan Kundera

Ditie is a pint-sized hotel waiter with big dreams.

Between pocketing stolen change from unsuspecting customers and reminiscing on nights spent at the local brothel, he fantasises about his immense - and imagined - riches.

Then, ludicrously, Ditie's dreams start to become reality.

Yet while his chaotic adventures lead him to ever more glamorous hotels, beyond the sparkling dining halls, the forces of twentieth-century European history march on.

A whirlwind of comic genius, a gut-punch of narrative power, this is the story of one small man's rise and fall - or fall and rise - against the shadowy backdrop of Europe's darkest days.

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY ADAM THIRLWELL

'An extraordinary and subtly tragicomic novel' New York Times

'Hrabal bounces and floats... with a gusting humour and a hushed tenderness of detail'

Julian Barnes

'A joyful, picaresque story, which begins with Baron Munchausen-like adventures and ends in tears and solitude.' James Wood