Items related to I Served the King of England (Picador Books)
Synopsis
In a comic masterpiece following the misadventures of a simple but hugely ambitious waiter in pre-World War II Prague, who rises to wealth only to lose everything with the onset of Communism, Bohumil Hrabal takes us on a tremendously funny and satirical trip through 20th-century Czechoslovakia.
First published in 1971 in a typewritten edition, then finally printed in book form in 1989, "I Served the King of England" is "an extraordinary and subtly tragicomic novel" ("The New York Times"), telling the tale of Ditie, a hugely ambitious but simple waiter in a deluxe Prague hotel in the years before World War II. Ditie is called upon to serve not the King of England, but Haile Selassie. It is one of the great moments in his life. Eventually, he falls in love with a Nazi woman athlete as the Germans are invading Czechoslovakia. After the war, through the sale of valuable stamps confiscated from the Jews, he reaches the heights of his ambition, building a hotel. He becomes a millionaire, but with the institution of communism, he loses everything and is sent to inspect mountain roads. Living in dreary circumstances, Ditie comes to terms with the inevitability of his death, and with his place in history.
"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
From the Inside Flap
A comic, picaresque novel set against the backdrop of twentieth-century Czech history, about the rise and fall of an ambitious busboy in Prague.
From the Back Cover
Isolated and impoverished, Ditie comes to a greater understanding of good and evil, and of his place in the vortex of history.
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherPicador
- Publication date1990
- ISBN 10 0330308769
- ISBN 13 9780330308762
- BindingPaperback
- Number of pages241
- Rating
Buy New
Learn more about this copy
US$ 96.82
Shipping:
US$ 6.95
Within U.S.A.
Other Popular Editions of the Same Title
Top Search Results from the AbeBooks Marketplace
Stock Image
I Served the King of England P
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. Item in very good condition! Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00075304663
Quantity: 2 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England P
Seller: SecondSale, Montgomery, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Acceptable. Item in good condition. Textbooks may not include supplemental items i.e. CDs, access codes etc. Seller Inventory # 00070461904
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England
Seller: ThriftBooks-Atlanta, AUSTELL, GA, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 0.65. Seller Inventory # G0330308769I3N00
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England (Picador Books)
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Fair. A readable copy of the book which may include some defects such as highlighting and notes. Cover and pages may be creased and show discolouration. Seller Inventory # GOR002425726
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England (Picador Books)
Seller: WorldofBooks, Goring-By-Sea, WS, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: Very Good. The book has been read, but is in excellent condition. Pages are intact and not marred by notes or highlighting. The spine remains undamaged. Seller Inventory # GOR001377372
Quantity: 3 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England (Picador Books)
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Fair. Acceptable/Fair condition. Book is worn, but the pages are complete, and the text is legible. Has wear to binding and pages, may be ex-library. 0.35. Seller Inventory # 353-0330308769-acp
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Good. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 431885-6
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England
Seller: Priceless Books, Urbana, IL, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paperback. Condition: G+. 241pp. Extremities rubbed & chipped; edges faded; remainder stripe bottom edge; owner inscrip. fep. OK reading copy. Seller Inventory # 211422
Quantity: 1 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England (Picador Books)
Seller: AwesomeBooks, Wallingford, United Kingdom
Seller rating 5 out of 5 stars
Condition: Very Good. This book is in very good condition and will be shipped within 24 hours of ordering. The cover may have some limited signs of wear but the pages are clean, intact and the spine remains undamaged. This book has clearly been well maintained and looked after thus far. Money back guarantee if you are not satisfied. See all our books here, order more than 1 book and get discounted shipping. . Seller Inventory # 7719-9780330308762
Quantity: 4 available
Stock Image
I Served the King of England (Picador Books)
Seller: Dunaway Books, St. Louis, MO, U.S.A.
Seller rating 4 out of 5 stars
Paper Back. Condition: Good. some shelf wear. Seller Inventory # 303773
Quantity: 1 available