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| This publication is available for export. Rights held worldwide by Media 21. |
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Picture the scene … it’s a freezing winter’s day in Budapest.
A tiny sparrow, its wings frozen stiff, crash lands in the middle of a road. A horse pulling a cart comes along and notices the
little bird and offers him some rum and schnapps to help thaw him out. Then, another sparrow swoops, and nudges his stricken friend
into the warmth of the horse manure. This does the trick, and the little sparrow begins chirping happily as he regains his
strength by pecking at the oats in the manure. The sparrow starts flapping its wings and is ready to take off when, out of the sky,
a big hawk swoops and eats the little sparrow.
There are three morals to this story:
1. If you’re in the shit keep quiet.
2. Whoever put you in the shit is not necessarily your enemy.
3. Whoever pulls you out of the shit is not necessarily your friend.
With this old Hungarian proverb, "Accidental Gangster" Bela Csidei begins his amazing life story. "I don’t know whether I found trouble or whether trouble found me", he writes. "Whatever the case, trouble
and I have been life-long companions…"
"The Accidental Gangster" is packed with 80 years of people, events and anecdotes,
both dramatic and bizarre, including:
- Mob identities Jimmy "the Weasel" Frattiano and Frank Sinatra
- The author’s stint in the French Foreign Legion
- Hair-raising escape from Communist Eastern Europe
- Death sentence "in absentia" from former Hungarian Government
- Shark hunting on the Great Barrier Reef
- Target of hit-men for crooked big businessmen and politicians
- Weapons smuggling for the KGB
- International banking scams
And the countless amorous adventures of the ever-optimistic Bela amid a cast of the world’s glamorous women.
The Accidental Gangster is 304 pages with 16 pages of remarkable photographs from a colourful life. |
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| Bela Csidei (with Norman Lipson and Adam Walters) |
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| Bela Csidei has led an amazing life. Now, nearing age 80, he reflects on tumultuous events with candor, wit and humor. Co-authors Norman Lipson and Adam Walters are experienced and respected journalists in print and television. Both specialize in stories that combine crime, excitement and larger-than-life characters. |
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| 16 pages of photographs included |
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