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Many famous authors “got it wrong”
Many famous authors who wrote about Asia “got it wrong.”
This is what led Jerry Hopkins, an author himself, to write “Romancing the
East,” a book about what these authors had to say about Asia. Jerry spoke at
the Sunday, June 2 meeting of the Pattaya City Expats Club.
Jerry Hopkins, author of
‘Romancing the East’, along with 40 other books, shares with PCEC members
and guests his observation that many earlier writers of East Asia painted
coloured visions of the country they wrote about - and they often ‘got it
wrong’.
Growing up in America, Jerry was a voracious reader (he
still is). For him, Asia was the continent portrayed by authors such as
Joseph Conrad, Somerset Maugham and Rudyard Kipling. They planted a seed in
him which flowered when he came to Asia 20 years ago (and stayed). Jerry
said that “Romancing the East” is the first mainstream book he has written.
Writing the book - it took four years to complete - helped Jerry understand
why he arrived in Asia thinking what he did about Asians, and why he feels
differently today.
Jerry said that the Asia depicted by many authors was not the real Asia. For
example, Anna Leonowens came to Thailand in the 1860s to teach the children
of King Mongkut. She wrote highly fictionalised memoirs of her experience,
making it sound like she was a major player in the court and a confidante of
the King. Margaret Landon wrote a book based on the memoirs; the book became
a play (“The King and I”); and the play became a movie (three times). Thus,
audiences in the West were treated to an inaccurate portrayal of the Thai
Royal Family.
Jerry, a voracious reader,
shares a passage from Kipling with PCEC to illustrate his thesis.
Another example: Ian Fleming, the creator of James Bond,
had a chip on his shoulder concerning the Japanese because he fought in the
Second World War. “You Only Live Twice” is an anti-Japanese diatribe. Other
Asian characters in Fleming’s books are depicted as the “bad guys.” Graham
Greene got it right, Jerry said, in “The Quiet American.” And Somerset
Maugham got it right in his depiction of India as seen by the British
colonialists living there.
Jerry said that as he researched “Romancing the East,” he learned a lot
about how books get written and how books can influence people and events.
Eugene Burdick and William Lederer wrote “The Ugly American.” The phrase
“ugly American” is often used to describe Americans who behave loudly and
ostentatiously when they go abroad. Yet, the protagonist, Homer Atkins, is
portrayed as a hero in the book; the title of the book comes from the fact
that Homer was an unattractive man. The Ugly American” is critical of
American foreign policy, Jerry said. It inspired John F. Kennedy, when he
was running for president, to propose what eventually became the Peace
Corps.
Many questions, some
controversial, were addressed or answered by Jerry.
James Michener wrote a few books on Asia; the best known
is Sayonara, which is set in Okinawa, Japan. During the Korean War, Jerry
explained, American soldiers went to Okinawa for Rest &Relaxation. As a
result, some of them married Japanese women. Sayonara tells the story of two
inter-racial marriages; both end tragically. When Michener was in Okinawa
researching his book, Jerry said, he was also working for the State
Department which preached against inter-racial marriages.
When Sayonara was made into a movie, Jerry revealed, Marlin Brando insisted
that the ending be changed. In the movie, Brando’s character, a U.S. army
major, “gets the girl.” Interestingly, when he was writing an article for
Life Magazine on war brides, Michener met Mari Yoriko Sabusawa, a Japanese
American who had been interned in a detainment camp during Word War II.
Michener fell in love with her and married her.
Member Len Levine advises that a
community chorus is forming in Pattaya. If interested, Len can be contacted
at [email protected].
Jerry said that his own romance with Asia manifested
itself most vividly when he was in Mumbai recently to research the chapter
in his book on Kipling. He visited a railway station, looking for the school
Kipling went to and the house he lived in. He read aloud a passage from
Kipling’s writings. The people on the street took no notice, Jerry said, but
he was very moved by it.
Jerry is the author of nearly 40 books, several of them international
bestsellers - including his seminal biographies of Elvis Presley and Jim
Morrison. Jerry worked as a correspondent and contributing editor of Rolling
Stone magazine for 20 years before moving to Thailand in 1993. He has
written two books about his new home - Bangkok Babylon and Thailand
Confidential. Further information is available at www.jerryhopkins.com. For
Pattaya Mail’s book review on “Romancing the East,” visit
http://www.pattayamail.com/books/romancing-the-east-23730.
After the presentation, Master of Ceremonies Richard Silverberg updated
everyone on upcoming events and called on Roy Albiston to conduct the Open
Forum, where questions are asked and answered about Expat living in
Thailand.
For more information about the many activities of the Pattaya City Expats
Club, visit their website at
www.pattayacityexpatsclub.com.
Founder of Pattaya Players,
Chris Parsons tells members of the Players upcoming production ‘Divorce
Sale’ on the 14th & 15th of June. More details at
http://pattayaplayers.com.
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dusitD2 joins Fin Free
coalition to protect sharks
(L to R) Chanadda Thanikulapat
from Freeland Foundation, Nancy L. Gibson, Executive Director/Founder of Fin
Free Thailand, Cindy Burbridge Bishop, the official ambassador of Fin Free
Thailand, dusitD2 baraquda owner Serm Phenjati, Chef de Cuisine Parthomrat
Rakkanam and GM Cholathee Nakhamadee announce the hotel has joined the global
Fin Free movement to encourage hotels and restaurants to stop serving soup and
other meals containing shark fins.
Warunya Thongrod
Pattaya’s dusitD2 baraquda hotel has joined the global Fin Free movement to
encourage hotels and restaurants to stop serving soup and other meals containing
shark fins.
Hotel owner Serm Phenjati presented Fin Free Thailand ambassador Cindy Sirinya
Burbridge Bishop with a signed pledge to abolish shark fin from the hotel’s
menus to help prevent the extinction of various species of sharks and protect
diners from the dangers of mercury present in shark fins.
The dusitD2 baraquda is the 24th hotel to go 100 percent
shark fin-free and the first in Pattaya. Dusit Thani Hotels’ Swissotel Le
Concorde Bangkok has joined the coalition, but said it is currently “phasing
out” shark fin dishes.
“Each year, a million sharks are killed, of which the majority are consumed as
shark fin soup distributed in restaurants and leading hotels,” said Bishop,
daughter of Bill Burbridge, who opened the first foreign-run scuba diving shop
in Pattaya and educated her on the dangers that sharks face. “Most consumers are
not aware of the concentration of mercury present in a shark fin.”
Serm, a diver himself and backer of the original Pattaya Dive
Club, said he was surprised by the amount of mercury in fins and joined the
coalition after meeting with Fin Free Thailand officials.
Part of the global Fin Free movement, Fin Free Thailand was founded by the
Freeland Foundation, Love Wildlife Foundation and Change.org Thailand, with
support from other partners, including the United States Agency for
International Development. The global Fin Free organization is spearheaded by
United Conservationists, a not-for-profit organization founded by Sharkwater
filmmaker Rob Stewart and operated by Executive Director Julie Andersen. It is
an open-source campaign, supported by a variety of organizations.
For more information, see FinFreethai.org and Fin-Free.com..
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World YWCA members visit Pattaya chapter
Janjira Thaibunthit (center)
welcomes everyone to the event, whilst YWCA President Praichit Jetpai (right)
and Pattaya Blatt’s Elfi Seitz listen in.
Elfi Seitz
More than 50 women from 45 countries took timeout from a World YWCA
meeting in Bangkok to see first-hand how the Pattaya chapter is working on
behalf of local communities.
About 80 local and visiting YWCA members arrived May 25 at the Diana Garden
Resort to have lunch with members of the YWCA Bangkok-Pattaya Center and hear
from Janjira Thaibunthit, director of the Chonburi Social Development and Human
Stability Department’s Social Welfare and Rights-Protection Office.
Marcia Banasko (left),
communications director for World Wide YWCA, is interviewed by Elfi Seitz for
Pattaya Mail TV.
Bangkok-Pattaya Center Chairwoman Praichit Jetpai welcomed
the visiting members who were attending the May 23-28 World YWCA International
Leadership Institute for Young Women meeting in Bangkok.
Local member Elfi Seitz made a presentation detailing the Pattaya chapter’s many
projects, including the vegetable-garden project for schools, the Happy Family
program, and other projects covering school lunches, education for orphans,
coral planting, school fish farms, free eyeglasses, distance learning, elderly
care, and a project to provide clothes and necessities for imprisoned women.
For the Bangkok meeting, the World YWCA brought together selected young women
from each of the organization’s regions to discuss, debate and define a global
young women’s agenda for development, equality and rights. The event drew on
research undertaken by young women in their home countries to build on the theme
of “The Future Young Women Want.”
The entire entourage poses
for a group photo during the event.
In Pattaya, a group of young students who called themselves
the “Y-Teens” represented that future and said they planned to do social work in
the future.
The lunch ended with a gift exchange and was followed by a tour of Pattaya,
including Walking Street and Pattaya Beach.
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Growling Swan in the swim
Members of the Growling Swan presenting the
costumes.
William Macey
Pattaya Sports Club members are well known for their support of the
handicapped and underprivileged of Pattaya, as are many PSC outlets (golf bars)
mainly arranging charity golf days to raise funds to help those less fortunate
than ourselves.
But the Growling Swan have taken a different approach. Dufar The Dog is
responsible for extracting a few baht from everyone, and who would dare refuse,
for even minor indiscretions, arriving late, forgetting some equipment, losing a
ball in the water, spilling your beer or someone else’s - a cardinal sin in
anyone’s eyes - and many others.
It soon mounts up and an opportunity occurred recently for the Growling Swan to
provide children at the Fr. Ray Foundation with swimming costumes, goggles and
swim hats.
Derek Franklin begins his guided tour.
We have all read in the newspaper of young children being unable to swim,
being drowned in even shallow water. Those at the Fr. Ray Foundation take this
situation seriously and all their children are encouraged to being confident in
water and learning to swim. Unfortunately they did not have sufficient costumes
to go around, everyone sharing the few that they did have, which restricted the
numbers that were able to enjoy this activity. That is no longer the case and
many more children will be able to learn to swim thanks to the members of the
Growling Swan.
A guided tour of the children’s activities was given by Derek Franklin and
everyone was astonished to see handicapped children, even those missing an arm
or a hand, repairing everything electrical, learning computer skills, and
naturally, the basic skill of reading and writing in Thai and English. A huge
effort goes into preparing students for life after they leave Fr. Ray but, not
stopping there, they follow up later to ensure they are receiving fair treatment
from the employer.
If you feel you would like to help those at the foundation by donating clothes
or money, please contact them direct or the Pattaya Sports Club on 038361167.
The students have to learn the theory.
The workshop.
A visit by the students from the Assumption College.
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146th Canada Day Celebration
The Canada Day Organizing Committee is pleased to announce that the annual
Canada Day party will be celebrated at the British Club on Saturday, June 22,
2013. The event marks Canada’s 146th birthday and the 24th year that Canada Day
has been celebrated in Bangkok.
“The 2012 event was a great success with 347 people in attendance and we are
looking to attract over 400 this year with our planned changes to the venue’s
lay-out and the introduction of live music,” said Don Lavoie, Chair of the
Canada Day Committee organizing the event. “The 2013 event promises to be a
great time as the Canadian community and its many friends comes together to
celebrate Canada’s birthday,” he added. Through this annual event, the Canada
Day Committee also raises funds which are contributed to the Thai Fund
Foundation (TFF).
Officially, Canada Day is celebrated on July 1st each year, but is being held
early in Bangkok to accommodate school breaks and to allow for more families to
participate in the festivities. The aim of this annual event is to encourage
Canadians and their families, friends, and colleagues of all ages and
nationalities, to gather and celebrate Canada Day in a lively atmosphere, with
delicious food, exciting games and fantastic camaraderie.
The Canada Day Celebration offers children’s games, tug-of-war, water balloon
toss, volley ball, and various sporting activities for adults, including
petanque. A delicious buffet dinner will be served following the afternoon
activities. Beer and wine will be available for the occasion, as well as Clamato
juice for the uniquely Canadian Bloody Caesar. Event ticket holders will also be
eligible to win a host of fabulous lucky draw prizes.
Tickets are being sold in advance with limited tickets available at the door -
based on a ‘first come, first serve basis’. Ticket price includes entry into the
event, dinner and a chance to win lucky draw prizes):
Adults: (13 & up) 950 baht in advance/ 1250 baht at the door.
Children: (4-12) 450 baht in advance/ 600 baht at the door.
Children: (3 & under) 100 baht in advance/at the door.
Reserved tables: Tables of 10 can be reserved with an advance payment by Friday,
June 7, 2013.
Event schedule:
15:00: Doors open
16:00: Children’s games
16:30: Ball hockey, volleyball tournament & adult games
17:00: Live music
18:00: Greeting & prize drawings
18:30: Dinner
19:30: Live music
For further information, please contact the Canada Day Organising Committee c/o
the Thai-Canadian Chamber of Commerce, 139 Pan Road, Sethiwan Tower, 9th Floor,
tel: 02-266-6085-6 or email us at:
[email protected]
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Cross Colours takes over as
house band at Moon River Pub
Cross Colours plays nightly
except Mondays from 9 p.m. to 12.45 a.m. at the Moon River Pub.
Elfi Seitz
There’s a new tune playing at the Moon River pub, where a band of five
international artists has taken over from the Filipino house band of the past
nine years.
Cross Colours, with members from Bulgaria, Germany, the Philippines, and
Trinidad took to the stage June 1, taking over from The Power Jam, which had
entertained at the Thai Garden Resort’s pub since 2004.
The band is fronted by Detelina Buntova of Bulgaria and joined on vocals by
Simon Husin, who grew up in Hamburg the son of a German mother and Indonesian
father. Eleazar Ocaric of the Philippines plays base guitar and also handles
background vocals with Filipino lead guitarist Alvin Loterte. Band leader
Richard Knights of Trinidad plays drums.
Several of the artists have played in Pattaya before in short stints with other
bands, but have found a long-term home at the Moon River. Their tenure is
ensured by their versatility. The band can play almost anything.
Knights dominates on the drums and has the arms to prove it. Ocariz, with his
sunglasses and head movements, recalls Stevie Wonder with a perpetual smile. The
slight Husin moves well and Buntova has both a beautiful face and voice.
Cross Colours plays nightly except Mondays from 9 p.m. to 12.45 a.m.
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