{"product_id":"9781529976472","title":"I Served The King Of England : Featuring an introduction by Adam Thirlwell by Adam Thirlwell","description":"Our very best writer today' Milan KunderaDitie 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\u003cbr\u003eBinding: Paperback \/ softback","brand":"Gardners","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":56369012867445,"sku":"9781529976472","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0612\/7193\/3106\/files\/9781529976472.jpg?v=1763551724","url":"https:\/\/backstory.london\/products\/9781529976472","provider":"Backstory","version":"1.0","type":"link"}