THE HUNDRED-YEAR-OLD MAN WHO CLIMBED OUT OF THE WINDOW AND DISAPPEARED

THE GLOBAL BESTSELLERSitting quietly in his room in an old people's home Allan Karlsson is waiting for a party he doesn't want to begin. His one-hundredth birthday party to be precise. The Mayor will be there. The press will be there. But as it turns out Allan will not . . .Escaping (in his slippers) through his bedroom window into the flowerbed Allan makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving criminals several murders a suitcase full of cash and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold Allan's earlier life is revealed. A life in which - remarkably - he played a key role behind the scenes in some of the momentous events of the twentieth century.Translated by Roy Bradbury.