Podivuhodná cesta kolem královny - Alžběta II. a její století – Brown Craig (2026)

Elizabeth II (1926–2022) of the House of Windsor, whose 100th birthday anniversary is being commemorated, was Britain’s longest-reigning monarch. For seven decades, citizens of the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, as well as many admirers in republican strongholds across every continent, appreciated her statesmanlike charm. Yet it was shaped by a number of paradoxes, arising partly from the peculiarities of a constitutional monarchy without a written constitution, and partly from the nature of an exceptional woman who sacrificed almost everything to her office apart from her passion for horse racing. Her thoughtful empathy and humble fulfilment of her entrusted role also required her to manoeuvre within the conventions of a ceremonial position in which she had to weigh her words more carefully than ordinary mortals. Craig Brown approaches Elizabeth’s reign as both essayist and satirist, enlivening his account with polished reports from pivotal moments in the queen’s career. He quotes the diaries of insiders from her circle, the biting opinions of fellow writers, opponents of the monarchy and rebellious rock musicians whom the head of state nevertheless awarded Britain’s highest honours. He adds anecdotes about her, as well as psychoanalyses of dreams connected with the idea that for many she represented the mother of the nation, a source of support and, above all, an idol. Humour is always Brown’s companion and fundamental weapon, reminding us that rulers can sometimes be naked too, a point he makes with elegant detachment occasionally heightened by sharp exaggeration. He knows he can examine his subject as closely as possible, yet only the queen herself could solve the riddle of the sphinx on the throne. His style of humour will feel familiar to Czech readers, partly thanks to Michael Žantovský’s insightful translation. Brown’s biographical work thus creates an honest, vivid and brilliantly light-hearted portrait of an iconic monarch in whom not only millions of her subjects but the whole world placed their hopes, from post-war reconstruction to the uncertain present.