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Author Thak Chaloemtiarana, author.

Title Read till it shatters : nationalism and identity in modern Thai literature / Thak Chaloemtiarana.

Publication Info. Acton, A.C.T. : Australian National University Press, 2018.

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Description 1 online resource (1 volume).
Series Asian studies series monograph ; 10
Asian studies series monograph ; 10.
Summary "This book introduces readers to modern Thai literature through the themes of modernity, nationalism, identity and gender. In the cultural, political and social transformations that occurred in Thailand during the first half of the twentieth century, Thai literature was one of the vehicles that moved the changes. Taking seriously 'read till it shatters', a Thai phrase that instructs readers to take apart the text, to break it down, to deconstruct it, Thak Chaloemtiarana challenges the Thai literary canon from the margins and suggests ways of expanding and enriching it. Thai literature is scarce in translation and requires the skills of a scholar fluent in Thai to comprehend it. Thak is a political scientist turned literary scholar who is bilingual in Thai and English and an avid reader of Thai fiction by authors up and down the social scale. Here he offers lively insights into his favourite literary genres with fresh readings of early Thai novels, Sino-Thai biographies and memoirs of the rich and famous. Thak Chaloemtiarana is an inquisitive man. Late in his career he switched from politics to literature. In these chapters, he draws on a lifetime of reading about writers and writing in Thailand over the past century. He nods towards the usual big names--King Vajiravudh, Luang Wichit, Kulap Saipradit, Kukrit Pramoj--but spends more time on those found in the lesser visited stacks of the libraries, the secondhand bookstalls, and the shelf by the supermarket checkout. His themes are familiar--Thailand and the West, Thai nationalism, the Thai-Chinese, and women under patriarchy--but the angles of vision are original. With a cast ranging from motor-racing princes through sexy Egyptian mummies and a feminist serial murderer to starlets touting breast-enhancement techniques, this book educates, enlightens, and entertains." --Dr Chris Baker, Bangkok-based author with Pasuk Phongpaichit, A History of Ayutthaya (Cambridge 2017)
Note Print version record.
Bibliography Includes bibliographical references.
Contents Intro; Foreword; Author's introduction; 1. The first Thai novels and the Thai literary canon; 2. Racing and the construction of Thai nationalism; 3. Adventures of a dangerous Thai woman: Huang rak haew luk (1949); 4. A civilized woman: M.L. Boonlua Debhayasuwan; 5. Are we them? The Chinese in 20th-century Thai literature and history; 6. Reading lowbrow autobiographies: The rich, the gorgeous and the comical; Previously published works; Index
Subject Thailand -- Politics and government -- 1988-
Politics in literature.
Thai literature.
Thai literature -- 20th century -- History and criticism.
National characteristics, Thai.
National characteristics, Thai. (OCoLC)fst01033535
Politics and government. (OCoLC)fst01919741
Politics in literature. (OCoLC)fst01896084
Thai literature. (OCoLC)fst01149069
Thailand. (OCoLC)fst01205310
LITERARY CRITICISM / Asian / General.
Genre/Form Criticism, interpretation, etc. (OCoLC)fst01411635
Added Author Australian National University Press.
Other Form: Print version: Thak Chaloemtiarana. Read till it shatters. Acton, A.C.T. : ANU Press , 2018 9781760462260 (OCoLC)1048423687
ISBN 9781760462277 (electronic bk.)
1760462276 (electronic bk.)
9781760462260
1760462268
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