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Book at Bedtime: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared

Martin Jarvis

Rosalynd Ward

Jeremy Osborne

Jonas Jonasson

Book at Bedtime: The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared: Episode 5

The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared

Episode 5

BBC Radio 4 - Book at Bedtime, The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed out of the Window and Disappeared, Episode 5

Allan, Julius and Benny find refuge at Lake Farm with the Beauty, her dog and her elephant

Allan, Julius and Benny have found refuge at Lake Farm with the Beauty, her dog and her elephant. But Chief Inspector Aronsson is on their case.

A picaresque tale of a centenarian, police and thieves, and moments in world history. As his mother put it, "Things are what they are, and whatever will be will be."

At 100 years-old, Allan Karlsson is a reluctant birthday boy. In the old people's home they've prepared a party for him. The Mayor and the local press will be there. But this party never gets started. Still in his bedroom slippers, Allan makes his getaway through the window and begins an unlikely adventure.

Allan is no stranger to adventure, as the stories of his earlier life reveal - a life in which he dined with world leaders such as Franco, Truman and Stalin and found himself behind the scenes during major events of the twentieth century.

Jonas Jonasson was born in 1961 in Vaxjö, Sweden. After starting up and then running the successful media company OTW for twenty years, he sold the business and moved to Switzerland. There he completed The Hundred-year-Old Man Who Climbed Out Of The Window And Disappeared. Jonas lives on the island of Gotland in Sweden.

Translated by Rod Bradbury.

Episode 5:
Allan, Julius and Benny have found temporary refuge at Lake Farm with The Beauty, her dog and her elephant. But Chief Inspector Aronsson is on their case. We also learn about Allan's contribution to the Manhattan Project in the 1940s.


Reader: Martin Jarvis
Abridger: Jeremy Osborne

Producer: Rosalynd Ward
A Sweet Talk production for BBC Radio 4.

Intelligent speech, the most insightful journalism, the wittiest comedy, the most fascinating features and the most compelling drama and readings anywhere in UK radio.

By Jonas Jonasson. Tale of a centenarian, police and thieves, and moments in world history

By Jonas Jonasson. Picaresque tale of a centenarian, police and thieves, and moments in world history. Read by Martin Jarvis

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