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In
His Doubtful Excellency: A Canadian Novelists Adventures
as President Havels Ambassador, Czech-Canadian author, Jan
Drabek, regails the reader with the escapades of an artist pressed into
diplomatic service. When, after the fall of communism, his former schoolmate,
playwright Vaclav Havel, becomes president of the Czech Republic, Drabek
is named ambassador and chief of protocol, welcoming dignitaries such
as Queen Elizabeth and Pope John Paul II. First published in Czech as
Po Usi v Postkommunismu (Up To My Ears in Post-Communism),
Drabeks poignant memoir of a pivotal moment in a changing global
landscape has been a bestseller in Czechoslavakia. Drabeks
story of our times is in places full of humour, but also coloured by nostalgia
over his loss of illusions...” wrote one reviewer. Adapted and translated
by Drabek, author of 11 previous novels, His Doubtful Excellency
takes an ironic view of post-communist Czech society, where corruption
is rampant, “but somehow improved since its now 'democratic
corruption.” Drabek also includes interviews with Vaclav Havel
and the present Czech leader, Vaclav Klaus. His Doubtful Excellency
reveals one mans experience of political atlas in flux as well as
an entertaining glimpse below the smooth surface of diplomacy, when Popes
and Queens come to visit.
Jan Drabek is the
author of eleven novels including the acclaimed Report on the Death
of Rosenkavalier ( M. & S.). His memoir of early years, Thirteen
was published by Caitlin Press. Born in Czechoslovakia, Jan Drabek returned
there in 1990 to teach English, and ended up an ambassador under president
Vaclav Havel. He now lives and writes in Vancouver, BC.
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