I Served the King of England is a 1971 novel written by Bohumil Hrabal. Written during a period of intense censorship, the book was not officially published until the 1980's. It remains an important piece of Czech literature, and was adapted into a movie in 2006.
Set in mid 20th century Prague, the book revolves around a man named Dite. Dite is a young man who has two main passions in life: money and women. The readers first see him working in hotels, where he lives frugally, spending his paychecks at nearby brothels. He eventually marries a woman named Lise. The novel chronicles his life during the Nazi occupation of Prague and the tragic events that occur.
I Served the King of England is considered by many to be one of Hrabal's best works. It received a film adaption in 2006 directed by Jiri Menzel, who had fought extremely hard in the 1990's for the creation of the film.
