Sitting quietly in his room in an old people's home, Allan Karlsson is waiting for a party he doesn't want to begin. His one - hundredth birthday party to be precise. The Mayor will be there. The press will be there. But, as it turns out, Allan will not . . .<br/>Escaping (in his slippers) through his bedroom window, into the flowerbed, Allan makes his getaway. And so begins his picaresque and unlikely journey involving a suitcase full of cash, a few thugs, a very friendly hot - dog stand operator, a few deaths, an elephant and incompetent police. As his escapades unfold, Allan's earlier life is revealed. A life in which - remarkably - he played a key role behind the scenes in some of the momentous events of the twentieth century.<br/>The One Hundred - Year - Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared is a charming, warm and funny novel, beautifully woven with history and politics.<br/>