Bangkok Days Review
It is unarguably the first modern book that I have read that has drawn me away from my Dostoevsky.
I purchased this book a few months ago out of a combination of cold curiosity and courtesy. Classic literature is my true love, of which, Dostoevsky is merely an example. This has been the case since childhood. By far most of what I read was written earlier than the 19th century. Thus, in my sequestered world of reading, I had embarrassingly never heard of this author. Or any of his books. Nothing. I truly had no idea what to expect.
Well, once I started reading "Bangkok Days" it went straight into my being. Not surprisingly, for it was written so meticulously and painstakingly that there exists no trace of the author's hand.
I am stunned that this little book so easily roused me. The finesse of the writing aside, I found myself bypassing any academic appreciation of this book as literature, initially. That in itself is a mark of brilliant writing. Rather, I connected emotionally and even spiritually.
"Bangkok Days" put me on edge. It is alive. It is so utterly beautiful, naked, and truthful. Elegant without affected austerity. Rich and luxuriant with no frivolity, no excess. Deeply touching but not maudlin. And outrageously funny! Belly laugh funny!
I prolonged my reading of it simply because I dreaded finishing it.
This book is exquisitely layered. On the surface it is a brilliantly written travel diary. But integrally and seamlessly woven into this often tragically hilarious and lurid tale of the author's adventures in Bangkok is nothing less than the self-aware "living out" of the human condition by the author himself. He is the real-life protagonist very soulfully grappling with age-old and always relevant burdens and joys of being human, emerging at the end a changed man.
There are rich and detailed forays into the many forms of pervasive loneliness, the bonds of friendship born out of unlikely circumstances, the quiet and relentless unconditional love of a wild and fiery renegade priest for an entire community of people not visible to most, the author's terrifying and very real brush with his own mortality, and much more. This book defies categorization by virtue that it is a novel that manifests the very real experience of the author. It is a nonfiction novel.
"Bangkok Days" so poignantly brought to light the "human condition" in such an elegant, comical, touching, and absolutely modern way, that I find my Dostoevsky rather dusty, heavy, and long-winded in comparison.
It is one of those extremely rare cases that I could not possibly imagine changing a single word without changing the book. Not one. "Bangkok Days" is complete to that extent. Truly. Now that is art.
What is so strange to me is that this is apparently classified under the genre "travel writing". "Travel writing"?! Please. This is modern literature at its finest.
Bangkok Days Feature
- ISBN13: 9780865477322
- Condition: NEW
- Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
Bangkok Days Overview
Osborne’s is a visceral experience of Bangkok, whether he’s wandering the canals that fill the old city; dining at the No Hands Restaurant, where his waitress feeds him like a baby; or launching his own notably unsuccessful career as a gigolo. A guide without inhibitions, Osborne takes us to a feverish place where a strange blend of ancient Buddhist practice and new sexual mores has created a version of modernity only superficially indebted to the West. Bangkok Days is a love letter to the city that revived Osborne’s faith in adventure and the world.
Available at Amazon Check Price Now!
Related Products
- Breathing Water: A Bangkok Thriller
- A Nail Through the Heart: A Novel of Bangkok
- The Fourth Watcher: A Bangkok Thriller
- Bangkok Babylon: The Real-Life Exploits of Bangkok's Legendary Expatriates are often Stranger than Fiction
- The Godfather of Kathmandu
Customer Reviews
Great book but Larry is a smart.... - Sergio Ianni - MILANO ITALY
The book describes Bangkok in a captivating way , so much that it made me want to plan a trip following Larry Osborne's steps. While doing my homework I was greatly surprised to discover Larry copied or at least took insipiration from Wikipedia, just read the first page of the chapter Moveable feasting and then google for Trok Matoom choosing the wikipedia page: you'll find the same words about Trok Matoom and Trok Khao Mao so...it seems he sort of cheated...Anyway the book is well worth reading and I'll take my trip anyway. Cheers!
don't waste you time or money - Jay D. Goldberg -
I wanted to read something interesting about a city I had traveled to years ago. I learned a few interesting tidbits, but it was not worth the pain of reading through all of the dribble. Can't believe I finished it.
Opiatic - A. Feiring -
Osborne pulls you into this vortex from the beginning. A dream. An adventure. Who cares about Bangkok? I don't. Matters not. In the spirit of seeking, humanity, character, thought, exchange, culture and above all exquisite writing. Nothing short of brilliant.
*** Product Information and Prices Stored: Feb 22, 2010 06:10:06
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment