Level up your game
Kindle Unlimited
Unlimited reading. Millions of titles. Learn more
Read now
OR
£7.99

Promotions apply when you purchase

These promotions will be applied to this item:

Some promotions may be combined; others are not eligible to be combined with other offers. For details, please see the Terms & Conditions associated with these promotions.

Sold by Amazon Media EU S.à r.l..
Read with our free app
You've subscribed to ! We will pre-order your items within 24 hours of when they become available. When new books are released, we'll charge your default payment method for the lowest price available during the pre-order period.
Update your device or payment method, cancel individual pre-orders or your subscription at
Your Memberships and Subscriptions

Buy for others

Give as a gift or purchase for a group.
Learn more

Buying and sending Kindle Books to others

  1. Select quantity
  2. Choose delivery method and buy Kindle Books
  3. Recipients can read on any device

These Kindle Books can only be redeemed by recipients in your country. Redemption links and Kindle Books cannot be resold.

Added to

Sorry, there was a problem.

There was an error retrieving your Wish Lists. Please try again.

Sorry, there was a problem.

List unavailable.
Kindle app logo image

Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet or computer – no Kindle device required.

Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.

Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.

QR code to download the Kindle App

Follow the author

Paul Knott
Follow
Something went wrong. Please try your request again later.

The Accidental Diplomat: Adventures in the Foreign Office Kindle Edition

by Paul Knott (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.2 out of 5 stars 93 ratings
Part political intrigue, part comedic travelogue, The Accidental Diplomat is an incident-packed memoir that bridges the chasm between John le Carré and Johnny English.
Its author, Paul Knott, is an ordinary Northern lad who began his working life in a hut on Hull’s King George Dock before an improbable career switch to Her Majesty’s Diplomatic Service. Tied up in a series of significant world events during two decades spent globetrotting on official duties, his story offers an illuminating insight into the most discreet of the UK’s great offices of state, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.
It blends the political with the personal to paint a vivid picture of the exciting and often absurd life of a Crown emissary.
Knott’s first posting to post-revolutionary Romania is a punishment for insubordination, but he finds the rampant eccentricity of a country striving to emerge from the Ceauşescu dictatorship inspiring and uproarious. A superficially more attractive but ultimately soulless sojourn in Dubai is enlivened when he is abducted at gunpoint by hospitality terrorists, before a happier time in the police-state of Uzbekistan, where he takes a hands-on approach to pursuing human rights and, with greater success, a gorgeous Kenyan lawyer.
His year in Kiev offers a close-up view of events underlying the ongoing crisis in Ukraine, several James Bond moments and an encounter with a wounded gangster. He is then unexpectedly beguiled by the offbeat charms of Belgium and the EU before his remarkable ride ends in Russia. The great land of contradictions proves both appealing and appalling, not least when a former Russian spy is murdered in London by radiation poisoning.

‘Armed with five ‘O’ Levels and a fascination for other countries, Paul Knott managed to secure a job as a Foreign Office diplomat. This allowed him to export his typical Hull sense of humour to parts of the world where laughter was an endangered emotion. This is a book that achieves the rare combination of being instructive and funny.” - Rt. Hon. Alan Johnson MP

‘An unexpectedly engrossing read about the adventures of an unlikely diplomat. Paul is a smart Yorkshire boy made good - if you count Humberside as part of Yorkshire. He is now an excellent writer on foreign affairs, whose insights from his Foreign Office career frequently put him ahead of the pack.’ - James Brown, Editor-in-Chief, Sabotage Times

‘The hilarious and engrossing tale of how one ordinary bloke from Hull stumbled onto the world political stage by accident...’ - Russ Litten, Author of Scream if You Want to Go Faster and Swear Down
Previous slide of product details
  1. Print length
    256 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publication date
    20 May 2015
  4. File size
    1.8 MB
  5. Page Flip
    Enabled
  6. Word Wise
    Enabled
  7. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
Next slide of product details

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00Y16E8TI
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Scratching Shed Publishing Ltd (20 May 2015)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 256 pages
  • Customer reviews:
    4.2 out of 5 stars 93 ratings

About the author

Follow authors to get new release updates, plus improved recommendations.
Paul Knott

Paul Knott

Brief content visible, double tap to read full content.
Full content visible, double tap to read brief content.

Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read book recommendations and more.

Related books

Page 1 of 1Start againPage 1 of 1
Sponsored
Previous page
  1. Shop the store on Amazon ›
    A Knight and a Spy 1410 (The road to Agincourt- king's spy Book 1)
    A Knight and a Spy 1410 (The road to Agincourt- king's spy Book 1)
    4.34.3 out of 5 stars1,546
    £5.99Print List Price:£13.99
  2. Shop the store on Amazon ›
    One Small Step: The incredible story of parkrun, from the man who started it all
    One Small Step: The incredible story of parkrun, from the man who started it all
    4.64.6 out of 5 stars3
    £16.39RRP:£22.00
  3. Shop the store on Amazon ›
    A Brief History of Italy: Tracing the Renaissance, Unification, and the Lively Evolution of Art and Culture
    A Brief History of Italy: Tracing the Renaissance, Unification, and the Lively Evolution of Art and Culture
    4.24.2 out of 5 stars132
    £7.99Print List Price:£12.99
  4. Shop the store on Amazon ›
    The Book of Unusual Sports Knowledge
    The Book of Unusual Sports Knowledge
    4.64.6 out of 5 stars7
    £8.43
Next page

Customer reviews

4.2 out of 5 stars
93 global ratings

Review this product

Share your thoughts with other customers
Write a customer review

Customers say

Customers find the book readable and humorous, with one mentioning it's peppered with amusing anecdotes.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Select to learn more

5 customers mention ‘Readability’5 positive0 negative

Customers find the book readable, with one describing it as an unexpected joy and another noting its informative content.

"This book was an unexpected joy...." Read more

"A good read" Read more

"A great read about Paul's time in the diplomatic office and his postings overseas...." Read more

"A funny, down-to-earth but nevertheless informative read about an interesting and varied career in the Diplomatic Service...." Read more

3 customers mention ‘Humor’3 positive0 negative

Customers find the book humorous, with one mentioning it is peppered with amusing anecdotes.

"...Part memoir, part travelogue and peppered with amusing anecdotes, this book has an authentic voice - though I felt it ended a little abruptly...." Read more

"...Funny, poignant and tragic in places, it presents a fascinating view of a world that most of us never see and provides a view of how it can be to..." Read more

"A funny, down-to-earth but nevertheless informative read about an interesting and varied career in the Diplomatic Service...." Read more

Top reviews from United Kingdom

  • Murph
    5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpected Joy
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 21 June 2015
    Verified Purchase
    This book was an unexpected joy. A refreshing acocunt of diplomatic life, not by some Oxbridge eductated ex-Ambassador but that of a fairly ordinary bloke from the North of England, who could often scarcely believe how the universe had conspired to thrust him in a series of interesting and humerous situations, all in the name of Queen and country. Part memoir, part travelogue and peppered with amusing anecdotes, this book has an authentic voice - though I felt it ended a little abruptly.The author may not have had the most illustrious diplomatic career, but it seems it was no less interesting or enjoyable for that - though one does wonder how he might have fared had he not spent quite so much time sampling the local hospitality whilst on his diplomatic travels.
    4 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • SMW
    4.0 out of 5 stars A good read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 20 March 2021
    Verified Purchase
    A good read
    Helpful
     Report
  • G. Williams
    5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth reading
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 December 2017
    Verified Purchase
    A great read about Paul's time in the diplomatic office and his postings overseas. Funny, poignant and tragic in places, it presents a fascinating view of a world that most of us never see and provides a view of how it can be to live in these countries as part of the diplomatic service.
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Mr. M. D. Butler
    4.0 out of 5 stars Definitely worth a read
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 16 December 2015
    Verified Purchase
    A funny, down-to-earth but nevertheless informative read about an interesting and varied career in the Diplomatic Service. The self-deprecation and lack of ego on the part of the author were both welcome. Highly recommended.
    2 people found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Pazn
    3.0 out of 5 stars Light reading of life of a diplomat
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 1 September 2018
    Easy reading, some insights to life overseas with foreign office. Book ended abruptly when just getting into it. . .
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • Anna
    5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 10 October 2020
    Verified Purchase
    Brilliant read - so good it was purchased again for a friend
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • marra
    4.0 out of 5 stars Four Stars
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 7 January 2015
    Verified Purchase
    interesting young man
    One person found this helpful
    Helpful
     Report
  • M
    5.0 out of 5 stars Witty, insightful and engaging
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 25 October 2020
    This gave a really interesting account on life as a diplomat. The only element it didn’t touch on that I had hoped for are some of the personal challenges to the role and spending such a long time away from friends/family and home.
    Helpful
     Report

Top reviews from other countries

  • Mike Carmel
    5.0 out of 5 stars Great stuff!
    Reviewed in the United States on 11 May 2018
    Verified Purchase
    This is a great, down-to-earth account of a regular lad from a dreary northern English town, who embarked on a career in the British Diplomatic Service. But it's also much more. Paul's sardonic sense of humor radiates the story with anecdotes here and there which liven up the read and keep you from losing interest. His powers of observation are also commendable. I enjoyed this book even more than Craig Murray's books which are of similar direction. Well done Paul!
    Report

Report an issue


Does this item contain inappropriate content?
Report
Do you believe that this item violates a copyright?
Report
Does this item contain quality or formatting issues?
Report