ROSA Magazine autumn 2026
Review by Alex Leith
Memoirs are all the literary rage, though nowadays they generally need a niche to earn their place on the shelves: my life through the bottom of a whisky glass; my experience teaching a multiethnic secondary school class; what I learnt about myself from the death of my father, and so on. It’s no surprise, then, that three of the four Sussex-authored books to have hit my desk this month are memoirs, each taking a strikingly different route through the terrain of personal history.
Let’s start with TheSingingAmbassador, by ROSA contributor Hugh Philpott (Rowanvale Books, £29.99). A retired diplomat turned culture writer, Hugh’s first book works on many levels, recounting his ambassadorial posting in Tajikistan from 2015 to 2019. He introduces several motifs that build to a tumultuous crescendo, embracing the musical culture of his adopted country and eventually recording – in the original language – a much-loved Tajik folk song. It’s the sort of cross-cultural gesture that could have gone terribly wrong; instead, it went viral. The result is a cracking, informative tale, rich in insight into Central Asian culture and the ups and downs of diplomatic life in a far-flung post. But above all, as any memoir must, it charts Hugh’s own learning curve, told in a voice that’s curious, open, and quietly self-deprecating. ‘Imagine Bill Bryson as an international diplomat,’ reads the blurb on the back, which hits the nail on the head (I wrote it, as it happens).
https://rosamagazine.co.uk/reviews-autumn-2026/
5 out of 5 stars
A diplomatic memoir rooted in music, culture and people
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on 30 September 2026 by Charlie Portlock, Royal Society of Asian Affairs (RSAA)
Hugh Philpott's account of his four and a half years as British Ambassador in Tajikistan is a warm travelogue and diplomatic memoir moving easily between embassy life and his other passion, singing, from rehearsals with Dushanbe's opera musicians to a national singing competition he helps bring to life, and those musical threads give the book its charm.
What stands out most is Philpott's obvious affection for the country and its people. Tajikistan is rarely written about, and he brings it alive: the Soviet-era streets of Dushanbe, the Afghan border, Navruz celebrations, the Pamirs, and above all the embassy staff and friends who become the book's real cast.
The tone is self-deprecating and chatty, full of asides and gentle humour.
Recommended for anyone curious about Central Asia, diplomatic life, or music's power to connect people
5 out of 5 stars
Beyond the far distant Oxus...
Reviewed in Germany on 3 October 2026 by former Ambassador Tim Jones
Format: Ebook
An excellent book for getting a feel for life in a small country far away where, precisely because of this one person can make a real difference to how his home country is seen and appreciated. Paradoxically, modern communications have made such countries more accessible but in practice led to the well known centres of communication becoming more self absorbed- Read this book and break out of the bubble