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Don Quixote in Thai?


Old Hippie

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OH,

 

I don't think it's translated to thai, those who can understand that book must have a cultural background which almost require knowledge of at least one western language english or french (of course spanish but I haven't ever met a thai speaking spanish in LOS).

 

Probably a short part of it can be translated and included in an anthology of world classics. To be honest I've never looked for such a book in thailand so don't any info if such exists or not.

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Anyone know where/if I can get a copy of this book in Bangkok? It is a classic that I think a few I know would like...needs to be in Thai language...any ideas? Thanks...

 

OH there is fairly huge bookshop at Siam square next to the university (I believe could be Thammasat (or Chula I always mix these two up locationwise)) They have a huge amount of books in Thai, many translations had to find rare books for someone once and found them over there. Otherwise go to one of the libraries of the major universities. Or try askng at books Kinokyuna, they have an ever growing Thai section as well.

 

Waerth

 

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Sure, there's even a swedish class in one school up north (CM?), but dutch, spanish and swedish and other exotic languages are normally spoken by girls (or men) before living in those countris I think.

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I've taught a fair number of Thai students who spoke fluent Spanish. But they were all former exchange students who had been to Central or South America. They told me they couldn't speak a word of Spanish when they got there!

 

I don't recall that any government university offers Spanish language courses. But the Spanish Embassy probably supports some sort of cultural organisation similar to the Alliance Francaise and the Goethe Institut that offers language classes.

 

p.s. Chulalongkorn is next to Siam Square - and in fact owns it! Nice bookstore too, on campus but opened to anyone.

 

 

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I think Thais would find "Don Quijote, translated or not, to be hilarious reading, not least for its gaiety and marvellous entertainment qualities which would suit the Thai outlook on life and their apprehension of surface reality:

 

"But to conceive Don Quijote's madness in symbolic and tragic terms seems to me forced....So universal and multilayered, so noncritical and nonproblematic a gaiety in the portrayal of everyday reality has not been attempted again in European letters... (from Erich Auerbachs' modern classic in "close reading" of literary analysis from 1948, "Mimesis").

 

Refreshing by the way to see somebody mention Cervantes' masterwork on a board where "Private Dancer" is widely considered the supreme glory of Western literary tradition...

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Refreshing by the way to see somebody mention Cervantes' masterwork on a board where "Private Dancer" is widely considered the supreme glory of Western literary tradition...

 

Actually, in real life, OH takes on the role of Sancho Panza...squire to all of the delusional knights in shinning armour out to save innocent damsels and those who want to take on the windmills of the LOS.

 

HH

 

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