Imperial Exile

With the plight of refugees constantly in the news this gripping story of the exile of the Ethiopian Emperor Haile Selassie in Britain is both timely and intriguing. He had to take refuge in the spa city of Bath in the 1930s after fleeing his country to escape the invading armies of the Italian fascist leader Benito Mussolini. Imperial Exile reveals the full depth of the debilitating struggles that all exiles face. It tells the story of how the Emperor is nearly crushed by a myriad of financial, political and personal pressures. But then a sudden twist of good fortune intervenes. The book is packed with beguiling eyewitness anecdotes, supported by a range of rare and fascinating photographs of both Britain and Ethiopia. The author is Keith Bowers, a former BBC executive producer who lives in Bath and travels regularly to Ethiopia.