WHAT ARE YOU READING?
Czech bibliophile's spoiled for choice
- Published: 24 Dec 2012 at 00.00
- Newspaper section: Life
During this time of growing financial uncertainty, books on economics are enjoying a new-found cachet, with some boasting titles that make them sound even more appealing than Hollywood blockbusters _ the likes of Freakonomics by Steven D. Levitt and Stephen J. Dubner, for instance, or Naked Economics by Charles Wheelan and Burton G. Malkiel.
One title has been such a phenomenal success that it's even spawned a play in Prague, capital of the Czech Republic. Written by Czech economist Tomas Sedlacek, Economics Of Good And Evil: The Quest For Economic Meaning From Gilgamesh To Wall Street takes a refreshingly multifaceted approach to its subject, drawing on references to the bible, history, mythology, philosophy and culture (both ancient and pop) to interpret, criticise, debunk and humanise tenets of what to many is a very tedious topic.
It's been on bestseller lists in several countries and is now a major hit in China. Sedlacek visited Beijing last month to promote the Chinese-language edition of his book and take part in a discussion about whether the sky-rocketing growth in that country's economy over the past decade is in fact sustainable.
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