Undiplomatic Activities
Richard Woolcott
'Dick Woolcott was Australia’s leading diplomat for a generation and had a remarkable range of contacts around the world. He also possesses a great sense of humour from which even prime ministers were not spared.’
Gough Whitlam'This wonderfully entertaining book is a rare opportunity to see behind the policy and protocol of our foreign affairs.'
Dave Bullard (Herald Sun)'Rather than a dull memoir by a high-ranking civil servant, his is a book that easily draws a wry smile and then splits that smile in half in order to allow an unstoppable laugh to tumble forth.'
David Gilchrist (West Australian)International politics is a serious business. But, as Richard Woolcott shows in these witty reminiscences, the diplomatic world has more than its fair share of absurdity, and even high comedy.
Undiplomatic Activities is filled with anecdotes and tall tales from an extraordinary career that spanned the second half of the twentieth century: from junior diplomat in Cold War Moscow to secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade in Canberra, via the capitals of Europe, Africa, Asia, the USA, and the United Nations.
Required not only to sacrifice a settled home and family life in the service of their country, diplomats must also heroically offer up their livers to booze, their stomachs to endless official dinners, their integrity to dangerous liaisons and the weasel art of spin, and their sanity to the pomposity and weird protocols that are part and parcel of the international scene.
From the heady negotiations of global statecraft to the petty and labyrinthine politics of ministers and mandarins, join this ultimate insider on an hilarious and insightful tour of duty in the diplomatic world.
Undiplomatic Activities is superbly illustrated by David Rowe, one of Australia’s great comic geniuses.
'Not only does he recount hilarious anecdotes of ambassadorial life, but he reminds us of a time when the public service was an independent, noble calling in which the truth was told, rather than just spin for political masters.'
Frank Walker (Sun Herald)'His slim volume is a laugh-out-loud book, enhanced by illustrations from cartoonist David Rowe, and makes a relaxing companion for an evening, especially if accompanied by a glass of good red.'
Michelle Grattan (The Age)Richard Woolcott
RICHARD WOOLCOTT AC was secretary of the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade from 1988 to 1992. Prior to that he held diplomatic posts in Europe, South-East Asia, Africa, and the United Nations. Along the way, Woolcott advised seven prime ministers from Robert Menzies to John Howard. Since retirement, Woolcott has been a regular media commentator. He is the author of an autobiography, The Hot Seat: reflections on diplomacy from Stalin's death to the Bali bombings.
David Rowe
David Rowe is the editorial cartoonist for The Australian Financial Review.
Buy from Readings
Extent: 208
Size: 210mm x 135mm
ISBN (13): 9781921215384
RRP: $35.00
Pub date: September 2007
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