Showing 1 - 10 of 49
The picture book-perfect library
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 13/01/2017
» Neilson Hays Library on Surawong Road turns 95 this year. One of the most handsome buildings remaining in the bustling district, the library will close for six months of renovations, starting in March. But members and visitors can rest assured, the lending service will not be affected, and the library continues to ensure its relevance to young readers with a recently launched short story competition (see box).
New books worth reading
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 29/12/2016
» From Dust To Dust: A Journalist's Memoir
Books of secrets
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 30/11/2016
» Pintima Lertsomboon, a librarian at Thammasat University, remembered trying to work on Oct 14 in order to soothe the bereavement brought by news of the death of His Majesty King Bhumibol. Her task as librarian usually offers her peace of mind. She has been tasked to separate the cremation books out of 10,000 rare books in the library, putting them in their own category.
Of the gay people, for the gay people
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 04/11/2016
» Utain Boonorana has been known among his readers as "Mor Tud" or, "the gay doctor". A medical professional by trade, Utain spends his free time penning books about gay romance. His latest novel is Kue Ter Nai Hua Jai (You're In My Mind), published by Hyacint, a publishing house dedicated to LGBT literature, released this month.
Crowdfunders serve as architect's artistic influence
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 01/08/2016
» Architect Yanyong Boon-Long is a unique voice in the Thai design community through his creative use of space and innovation aiming at improving or even solving social problems. He has been involved in a project that installs solar roofs for a low-income canal community. His research funded by Rockefeller Foundation also inspired the authorities to connect Bangkok's canals with Metro Rapid Transit (MRT) transit stations.
Live your dreams
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 16/05/2016
» Cuba, a socialist country with breathtaking Spanish colonial architecture, exceptionally fine music and superior cigars, is finally getting the world's attention it so deserves. Restored diplomacy with the US is putting the country among the top tourist destinations. Cuba was given a further boost when US President Barack Obama made a state visit in March and Karl Lagerfeld staged a fashion show in Havana earlier this month by turning the leafy Paseo del Prado boulevard into an extravagant catwalk. Not to be left behind, Thai hoteliers recently went to Havana to ink a deal to open a high-end complex.
No rhyme, no reason
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 02/05/2016
» There's a beautiful piece of prose in a Thai poem that reads: "Kavee rue lang laeng Siam" -- (Siam never runs out of poets). Composed over 120 years ago by Prince Paramanuchit Chinoros, the verse is part of Samuta Koj Kam Chan, and it describes the golden age of Thai literary culture, in which poetry was ingrained as part of people's speech. It was a time when rhyme and stanza were infused in normal dialogue. Men wrote poems, or sang them for courtship.
Portrait of a middle-class lady
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 18/04/2016
» China has undergone a great transformation within a short period of time. An open economy, though still under control, has pushed the once-backward, poverty-ridden Communist country into an economic superpower within three decades. But wealth and progress come with complicated questions, such as that of how modernity affects individual identity, especially for women.
Books as bridge to Latin culture
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 07/03/2016
» For many Thais, Latin America seems an unknown land. Asst Prof Pasuree Luesakul, an acclaimed translator of many Latin American novels, believes that Thais miss a good chance to learn the culture which is strikingly similar to ours. With a doctorate in Latin American Literature from University of Salamanca in Spain, Pasuree is now head of Spanish section and director of the Center of Latin American Studies, Department of Western Languages at Chulalongkorn University's Faculty of Arts. She has translated the Chilean Nobel laureate Pablo Neruda's Twenty Love Poems And A Song Of Despair and María Rosa Lojo's historical novel Finisterre. She is also editor of the bilingual version of César Vallej's Anthology, a project subsidised by the Embassy of Peru in Thailand to celebrate the 50th Anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Thailand and Peru.
Sojourn in Siam
Life, Anchalee Kongrut, Published on 21/12/2015
» The Siamese Trail Of Ho Chi Minh -- the third book by Bangkok-based writer Teddy Spha Palasthira -- has come out in an interesting time. Not only did Vietnam celebrate the 40th year of the country's reunification earlier this year, but the Asean Economic Community (AEC) is set to become active next month, with a promise to bring the relationships and history of the region into public attention.