Novels set in Thailand ?

[Guest]

Can anybody recommend any Novels set in Thailand?

 

Not just one or two but as many as worth reading ?

 

Good ones bad ones don't matter !

 

Hope this shouldna been in the arty farty section Bros.

 

Jb

[Guest]

For a start, and seeing as you have a computer, you could do worse than read 'Private Dancer' by Stephen Leather. Read it at

 

http://www.freelancerbar.com/

 

 

 

under the section 'The Girls'. Ensure that you have Adobe Acrobat (freebie) to download it and then read it at your leisure.

 

 

 

I must admit to skipping a lot of it to get to the BKK 'characters' in Soi 4 etc. I daresay that some of them (all of them) were sketched on people that we all know or we can imagine knowing.

 

 

 

Should be a good thread this when it gets going...

[soongmak]

my favourite story is "love in a duty free zone" by Pico Iyer in his book "Video night in Kathmandu", a great collection of travel stories where he focuses on the western influence on a variety of asian cultures/nations.

 

 

 

Also a book of collected stories is "too may women" aka "bangkok knights"by colin pipprel. It is a collection of stories that revolves around two expat friends in Bangkok and some of their adventures. this book really starts to grow on you when you get to know the main charcters.

 

 

 

Best thriller set (partially) in thailand is "the solitary man"by Stephen Leather. I rate him as the best writer in my list, but the other novels offer more "couleur locale." An excellent read nevertheless!

 

 

 

I could also recommend "memoirs from a bangkok warrior"by Dean Barrett. Excellent read about a group of soldiers stationed in thailand about 30 years ago. It's a bit like Mash, but set in Thailand. Who knows, you might run into the author when you're in BKK.

 

 

 

"The Scribe" by David Young. It's a novel about a guy who makes money writing letters for bargirls. for 120 bhat, you can't go wrong.

 

 

 

cheers,

 

 

 

soongmak

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[sayjann]

'private dancer' is a must.

 

 

 

SOONGMAK.

 

are any these publications available on-line?.

[Guest]

Check out our webpage:

 

 

 

http://www.geocities.com/armyairlift/KenandLat/links.htm

 

 

 

Think you will find enough books listed to last the rest of your natural life.

 

 

 

kenandlat@aol.com

[pattaya127]

I can't stand private dancer, could have been set in any country where romantic farangs can be set up (about a 120, every continent), so is THE BEACH. I liked Borderlines, Woman of Bangkok, but i forget the others as i borrowed them only and the title escapes me. The one from Tristan Jones about crossing the isthmus with a boat what's the name? A great read was by some guy who wrote about crossing to Burma to meet Khun sa, it's got "dragon" in it. Not exactly Thailand all the way, but you will feel familiar with the way he deals with people. Sorry all these titles escape me. You may want to try some of Pira Sudham's novels, written in english with a view of Thailand as seen "behind the smile", as he is from Issan, and acutely aware of the economic shortcomings of the region, but also the traditional behaviour of the people. i think he deserves his own thread on A&C, but yes, we need that section to get well-going, so i am moving this one too.

[bibblies]

I liked "A woman of Bangkok" by Jack Reynolds. It's about a young Englishman being ensnared by a Thai woman.

 

 

 

What's amazing was that it was written and is set in the 1950s but it still applies today! And unlike the others I've read (C.G Moore, Colin Piprell, etc), it really goes into the Thai woman's perspective.

[soongmak]

are any these publications available on-line?

 

 

 

Sayjann,

 

 

 

I really wouldn't know. I bought these books when I lived in Bangkok! I know that dean barret has his own website, so has stephen leather. you could also do a search for christopher moore and jake needham. The all have websites, you must at least be able to read excerpts from their work.

 

 

 

Cheers,

 

 

 

soongmak

[Guest]

The book you're talking about where the author meets Khun Sa is called "Chasing the Dragon" by Christopher Cox. I also liked the Pira Sudham book, "Monsoon Country". It really gave me the feel of what Issan is like. Hot, dusty, and very poor.

[check_bin_krap]

"You may want to try some of Pira Sudham's novels, written in english with a view of Thailand as seen "behind the smile", as he is from Issan, and acutely aware of the economic shortcomings of the region, but also the traditional behaviour of the people. i think he deserves his own thread on A&C, but yes, we need that section to get well-going, so i am moving this one "

 

 

 

I read 3 books by Sudham, People of Esarn, Monsoon country and Tales of Thailand. I found it depressive reading. But certainly worth it. If I got it right his books are only in English. Thats pretty weird for a Thai. I sent a couple of these books to a Thai friend of mine in Isaan. The comments I got back was that there are many similar books in Thai, and she didn't find them so interesting as this stuff was familiar to her.

 

 

 

A book I read recently on the lighter side is "Thai Lite" by S. Tsow. Funny short stories worth a read. James Eckardt books are also worth reading, about an expats life in Thailand.

 

 

 

Cheers!