Undressing Emmanuelle [antikvár]

1 Amsterdam, 2005 Bessel Kok is a major businessman. It shows: he has presence, composure, style and a keen eye. He's a chess fanatic like my father, and a connoisseur of fine flesh and lovely women. His wife is young and ravishing, he has the pot belly of a gourmand, and his dream is to become President of the World Chess Federation. He is also generous and - as luck would have it - a nostalgic fan and kind patron of little old me! I met him a few years ago at a smart dinner after a private view. He kindly invited me to the Karlovy Vary Film Festival in the Czech Republic, of which he was a sponsor. Bessel has become a thoughtful and protective friend. This summer he offered to subsidise me. 'Why?' 'I will provide you with financial support for a few months, so you can devote yourself to your own project.' 'What kind of project?' 'A book.' 'A book?' 'The story of an ageing Dutchwoman, a former goddess of love, in fragile health and living in a tiny apartment ' He laughed, adding: 'Give it some thought '