One of Asia's most extraordinary cities, Bangkok is also one of the most baffling. It is filled with remarkable people and glittering golden palaces and temples, but is also a maze of concrete and twisting overhead utility wires. Alex Kerr has spent over thirty years of his life living in Bangkok and is uniquely qualified to write about it. As with his bestselling books on Japan (Lost Japan and Another Kyoto), he revels in the secret, tucked-away corners, the great contemporary artists and the sheer wonder of so many aspects of Thai dance and design. While deploring the loss of much of old Bangkok, he is never merely nostalgic for a past but finds inspiration in Thailand's dynamic modern fusions.
Another Bangkok will delight both those who think they know the city well and those visiting for the first time. Kerr is a uniquely wry and eloquent guide to everything from ceramics to puppetry, from flower patterns to old houses.
wayfarer, civil engineer by training, transit map designer by trade. finding beauty in what’s otherwise unnoticed. @oranv@mastodon.social
Read: 1. Another Bangkok, Alex Kerr (The richness and diversity of Thai culture deserves a deeper appreciation told through memoir) 2. Siam Mapped, Thongchai Winichakul (how clashing notions of space & politics defined the shape of Siam and how it enabled a nationalist ‘history’) https://t.co/9h06BNS1DD
Kerr's way of questioning and puzzling through is hugely enjoyable in its own right, and pleasingly infectious.--Christopher Harding, Spectator
Captivating, informal ... Kerr is the perfect guide.--PD Smith, Guardian
Rich ... Kerr's combination of instinct and erudition serve him well ... there is something fresh and chirpy about the text, even when it deals with the most esoteric or arcane of subjects.--Stephen Mansfield, Japan Times