Didn’t want to overdo the Greene while we were stuck in Bristol, so borrowed a couple more, which I haven’t read yet. Never read any Chatwin, who was quite celebrated 20 years ago, but may now be unread?
This is a strange short novel about a German Jewish minor aristocrat living in Prague in the Soviet era, who amasses a huge collection of porcelain which he manages to keep away from Soviet control, although they are aware of it.
He manages to get medical passes to the West, but loathes society there as much as soviet Prague and keeps returning, possibly for nefarious reasons (does he sell smuggled-out Porcelain for cash strapped East European Governments from Switzeerland?)
A very Jewish (I thought) novel; Chatwin is not an obviously Jewish name.
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