First published in 1956, under the pseudonym “Frank Cauldwell”, this accomplished comedy of manners is set among British expatriates and exotic locals in a Greece still undiscovered by tourism. Written with an infectious enjoyment and good humour, the story of the flamboyant and temperamental Colonel Theodore Grecos and his devotion to the completely unsophisticated Götz Joachim provides Francis King with ample scope for his mastery of ironic observation. In the Introduction, the author explains how The Firewalkers came to be written, born out of “the exhilarating sense of liberation that came to me on first setting foot in Athens”.
‘Astonishingly good. A witty and sympathetic writer who makes the most of his remarkable material, inventing characters and incidents with loving imaginative skill’ Guardian
‘Excellent. The author has the ability to be funny and moving at the same time, and his Theo and Götz are two of the most engaging and human eccentrics I have met for a long time’ Spectator
‘Writes extremely well and holds our attention throughout not only delightfully but movingly’ Times Literary Supplement
