Sauve Qui Peut

Here, in the delightful tradition of Esprit de Corps and Stiff Upper Lip, are new stories of life in the diplomatic corps. Career officer Antrobus, experienced man-behind-the-scenes in the Iron Curtain post of Vulgaria, does the telling, and a wild assortment of tales the British gentleman has. His nine reminiscences give excellent illustration of the fact that the major problems of a diplomat are seldom diplomatic. And the various crises show that the title of the book could well be the motto of any member of an embassy. For all too often the only solution is literally "save himself who can," or, as it has evolved, "everyone for himself." This, the first collection of Antrobus stories since 1959, confirms Lawrence Durrell as a master of humor as well as of storytelling.