The book 'Thailand behind the smile' (reader submission)
As previously announced, my book about Thailand will soon be published. The title of the book is “Thailand behind the smile”. During the twenty years that I have been coming to Thailand, I often heard: “I could write a book about what I heard and experienced here.” For most people, that intention remains the same. I drew from my own experiences, from the many stories I heard from Farang and Thai and this blog was also a huge source of information.
Here I show six cartoons with explanations that bitingly criticized the royal-noble elite in Bangkok a hundred years ago.
Thai women: beware of farangs! Don't buy a pig in a poke!
What advice do Thai women get if they want to deal with a farang man? How can they avoid disappointment? The 'practical guide to distinguishing frogs from princes' gives useful tips. The book recently fell from Tino's bookcase.
“The Mad Fourteenth Century” – a Southeast Asian version
In 1978, the American journalist and historian Barbara Tuchman (1912-1989), published 'A Distant Mirror – The Calamitous 14th Century', in the Dutch translation 'De Waanzige Veertiende Eeuw', a sensational book about everyday life in medieval Western Europe in general and in France in particular, with wars, plague epidemics, and an ecclesiastical schism as the main ingredients.
The Jim Thompson myth
Jim Thompson's life in Thailand is almost legendary. If you have been to Thailand, then that name is known and you also know a bit about what he has done.
Archibald Ross Colquhoun & Chiang Mai
One of the books I cherish in my rather extensive Asian library is the book 'Amongst the Shans' by Archibald Ross Colquhoun. My edition is the 1888 edition - I suspect a first edition - which rolled off the presses at Scribner & Welford in New York and includes Terrien de Lacouperie's 'The Cradle of the Shan Race' as an introduction.
Tino Kuis gave a very favorable book review of 'Woman, Man, Bangkok. Love, Sex and Popular Culture in Thailand by Scot Barmé He read this book in one breath as if it were a political thriller and promised more. Here again a contribution based on Barmé's book. About polygamy or polygamy.
Reader question: Book about Thai native fish species?
My Thai wife Phon and I have a piece of land next to and behind the house (Thailand). We now have 2 ponds next to the house that are occupied with various fish species. Various fruit trees have also been planted. I was able to buy a book about those fruit trees in Thailand (English). Trees and fruits of Southeast Asia by Orchid Guides. I haven't been able to find one yet about Thai native fish species. I have not yet succeeded in growing vegetables and herbs either.
Reader question: Who can help me write a book about my life?
I am looking for a man or woman here in Thailand who could help me write a book that I also want to publish, but I need help with that.
The book “Thailand Fever” was recently referred to in Thailandblog, and the article generated quite a few reactions. The different cultures were extensively discussed in the book, and it also depends on the lens through which you look at the various cultures.
An overview of the TAT over 60 years
The Tourism Authority of Thailand (TAT) has issued a special 245-page brochure commemorating the 60th anniversary this year. It is free to view and download. It offers a fascinating look at the history of Thai tourism and the TAT since 1960.
New book by Eugeen Van Aerschot: “A scratch on her soul”
On March 20, the book “A scratch on her soul” by the Belgian writer Eugeen Van Aerschot will be published. It is a psychological thriller with the themes of hypnosis and reincarnation.
Book In Love = Lost by Colin de Jong
Colin de Jong, the well-known Elvis impersonator from Pattaya, has released a book entitled In Love = Lost.
'Expat exit' a new thriller by Patricia Snel
It has been several years since a female blog reader commented on an article, the subject of which I do not remember, frankly said that she had come to Thailand with her husband, but that the marriage had broken down. Whether the cause of the subsequent divorce has to do with the husband's adultery, I do not know, but it is quite conceivable in a country with so many beautiful and lovely ladies.
Reader submission: 'A cream of a book'
My name is Yvan, Belgian by birth, Fleming by nature. Regular visitor to Thailand for a few years now, where someone is faithfully waiting for me. That someone is Malai, the place is Ubon Ratchathani.
'I lost my teeth' – short story by Khamsing Srinawk
Between 1958 and 1996, under the pseudonym Law Khamhoom, Khamsing Srinawk wrote a number of short stories entitled ฟ้าบ่กั้น 'Fàa bò kân, Isan for: 'Heaven knows no bounds' and published in English translation as 'Khamsing Srinawk, The Politician and other stories', Silkworm Books, 2001. He dedicated the book to 'my mother who couldn't read'. It was translated into eight other languages, including Dutch.
History is in no hurry
It could be argued that Thailand suffers greatly from the numerous coups, but it should be said right away that the country is unable to learn from its own history. This is reflected in a new book entitled “Thailand Timeline 1500 – 2015”.