I’m pleased to announce publication of The Cultural Detective: Reflections on the Writing Life in Thailand by Christopher G. Moore
Moore’s credits include the Vincent Calvino crime novels about an American private investigator in Bangkok, as well as a number of non-fiction books about Thailand, where Moore has lived for more than twenty years. This new collection offers a street-level yet outsider's view of Bangkok and unsentimental takes on Moore’s craft and country in essays beguiling for their content and their titles. (My favorite is “The Culture of Complaining.”)
I'm especially attached to one item from the book’s table of contents, though:
Introduction by Peter Rozovsky ... vii
Here's a recent bit of Moore's writing to give you an idea of what you'll find in the book.
Here's a bit of my introduction:
“I once was a prisoner in the cult of authenticity, skeptical of crime writers who wrote about countries other than their own. (Tourist that I am, I sneered at tourists.)
“Christopher G. Moore plugs that attitude between the eyes early in the collection of essays you’re about to read. `There is a tradition of pundits saying foreigners can’t understand how Thais think,' he tells us. `That is in itself an interesting theory of mind, suggesting that non-Thais are basically rendered autistic when it comes to understanding how Thais form intentions and the true nature of their beliefs.'
“That’s a neat trick, isn’t it? With a few taps on his keyboard, Moore demonstrates that authenticity snobs of the kind I once was are nothing more than upscale propagandists for the old belief that Orientals are inscrutable.”
Peter Rozovsky's blog - Detectives Beyond Borders - for more.
Thanks for the mention and for the cool quotation. E-books and their production and marketing herald a retreat of civilization, and it's nice when an occasional brave soul points out any of their many disadvantages. ==========================
ReplyDeleteDetectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
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