THAILAND: LAND OF BEAUTIFUL WOMEN

by Dean Barrett

For several years, Thai women have been well on their way to becoming international celebrities. The cheerful attitude, the graceful movement, the charming smile, the gentle nature, the lovely figure, the total lack of self-pity. All this and more seems to have combined into a Siamese bewitchment captivating men of almost every nationality. For many, the mention of Thai women conjures up the stereotype of unbridled sensuality in the lush Tropics. But in pictures and in text, Land of Beautiful Women attempts to delve deeper into the reasons for their phenomenal popularity. The author concludes that, from classical dancers to construction workers, from go-go dancers to rice farmers, their charm is far more than merely physical. Thai cultural values and the teachings of the Buddhist religion have endowed the women of Thailand with confidence, grace and intelligence. Their attraction involves a vivaciousness, a well-developed sense of humor, and, perhaps, above all, the intelligence to deal with life’s problems while maintaining an almost childlike ability to delight in living. In other words, an attitude toward life which understands that life is meant to be enjoyed.

160 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2001

About the author

Dean Barrett first arrived in Asia as a Chinese linguist with the American Army Security Agency. While living in New York, Dean was a member of Dramatists Guild, a board member of Mystery Writers of America and a librettist/lyricist with BMI. He lived in Hong Kong for 17 years where he was managing director of Hong Kong Publishing Company Ltd. Dean has written several books on China and Thailand. His musical, Fragrant Harbour, set in 1857 Hong Kong, was selected by the National Alliance for Musical Theater to be shown to producers and directors on 42nd Street, NYC. His play, Bones of the Chinamen, set in Swatow (Shantou) in 1862, won the South Asian prize of the BBC International Playwriting Competition, coming in among the top 8 selected out of 1200 entries. Dean specializes in writing on the late Qing period of Chinese history and now lives in Asia. He has written two novels set in Hong Kong in 1857: Hangman's Point and Thieves Hamlet. His latest novel on China is A LOVE STORY: THE CHINA MEMOIRS OF THOMAS ROWLEY, a romantic and erotic work set in the 1800's. POP DARRELL'S LAST CASE, a detective novel, was published in 2014.