Rates of Exchange

'The work of a master, and a master not only of language and comedy, but of feeling too’ – The Sunday Times

Slaka! Land of lake and forest, of beetroot and tractor. Slaka! Land whose borders are sometimes here, often further north, and sometimes not at all!

Dr Petworth is on a cultural exchange to the small (and fictional) Eastern European country of Slaka. Pallid and middle-aged, Dr Petworth might appear stuffy, but during his short stay he manages to embroil himself in the thorny thickets of sexual intrigue and love, while still finding time to see the major sights.

Shortlisted for the Booker Prize in 1983, Rates of Exchange took Malcolm Bradbury’s satirical gifts to a new level.

Part of the Picador Collection, a series celebrating fifty years of Picador books and showcasing the best of modern literature.