Product Description
Welcome to Slaka! A land of lake and forest, of beetroot and tractor, of cultural riches and bloody battlefields. A land whose borders change as frequently as its history, and yet whose heart somehow remains reassuringly unchanged: by turns captivating, infuriating, bureaucratic, anarchic, comic and sinister. Slaka! A land that is instantly recognisable to any traveller who has ever grappled with an unyielding language, argued with officialdom, outdrunk their welcome, mislaid their luggage, missed their train or just misjudged a tip. Malcolm Bradbury`s hilariously entertaining and witty novel, Rates of Exchange, introduces the small, eastern European country of Slaka. In less than two short weeks there, first-time visitor Dr. Petworth manages to give a rather controversial lecture, get embroiled in the thorny thickets of sexual and domestic intrigues, fall in love, and still find time to see the main tourist attractions. In his wickedly funny satire Why Come to Slaka? Malcolm Bradbury offers the would-be visitor,la Dr Petworth, a wealth of information about the Slakan state, its pageantry and politics, its people and public figures, as well as some essential Slakan phrases-`American Express? That will do very nicely`. Stories and narratives bubble up between the lines to keep you reading and chuckling.
About the Author
MALCOLM BRADBURY was a well-known novelist, critic and academic. He set up the famous creative writing department of the University of East Anglia, whose students have included Ian McEwan and Kazuo Ishiguro. He wrote seven novels as well as several works of non-fiction, humour and satire, including Who Do You Think You Are? (1976) and All Dressed Up and Nowhere to Go (1982). An active journalist and leading tv writer, he was responsible for adaptations of Porterhouse Blue, Cold Comfort Farm, and episodes of Inspector Morse, A Touch of Frost, Kavanagh QC, and Dalziel and Pascoe. Awarded a knighthood in 2000, he died the same year.
