Monsoon Country

by Pira Sudham

Set in Thailand, England and Germany, Monsoon Country conveys the cultural tension between the East and the West, the clashes between the new powers and the old values, covering twenty-five years of socio-economic and political change in Thailand. This novel gives, as no fiction account about Thailand has yet done, insights into Thai life, particularly that of rural Thailand. Foreign writers writing about the Thai people look at Thailand from the - outside", but Pira Sudham writes about his people and country as seen from the - inside," thus giving us a fascinating work.

Genres: Asia, Fiction, Travel, Literature, Book Club

240 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 1990

Reviews

[Andrew]

It starts weak and sentimental, but eventually finds its way. I came into reading Monsoon Country wanting to hail an unheard voice from an obscure corner of the literary world, but it's no masterpiece. However, it is an entirely decent, vaguely Steinbeckish novel about poor people and rich people, Europe and Asia, justice and injustice, and trying to find one's place in the world. Nothing earth-shattering, but perfectly OK.

[HansBlog · Rating 1 out of 5]

Aus HansBlog.de:

Autor Pira Sudham (Pira Canning Sudham) wurde in einem nordostthailändischen Dorf geboren (also in der Region Isaan), ging mit 14 zum Lernen nach Bangkok, studierte und lebte später in Neuseeland, Australien und England, zuletzt offenbar wieder in Thailand. Er schreibt nur auf Englisch. Ich bespreche hier das dicke Hardcover-Buch Shadowed Country (Verlag Asiashire, 2004); es kombiniert und erweitert Sudhams frühere Romane Monsoon Country (1988) und dessen Fortsetzung The Force of Karma (2002).
Zwar wird es nicht gesagt, aber vermutlich schildert Sudham sein eigenes Leben, und die Fotos im Buch zeigen vermutlich ihn selbst und sein eigenes Leben vor allem auf dem Land.
Die Geschichte beginnt unter armen Bauern auf dem Dorf. Zunächst steht nicht Soziales im Vordergrund, sondern das schweigsame Außenseiterkind Prem bzw. Luke-Gop (Kaulquappe), dem die Dörfler mysteriöse Kräfte zutrauen, speziell nachdem der Dorfseher sie darüber "aufgeklärt" hat. Luke-Gop ist am liebsten mit den zwei Wasserbüffeln seiner Familie zusammen, bemerkt aber auch Korruption und Gewalt. Es gibt ein paar Geisterbeschwörungen und Aberglauben, die Akteure handeln teils irrational (aber nicht komplett unrealistisch oder fantastisch).
Später kommt Prem in die Grundschule und ist plötzlich Klassensprecher – kein Wort darüber, wie er seine auffällige Schweigsamkeit und Menschenferne überwand. Auch später stößt man auf Handlungslücken, die gedankenlose Kürzungen vermuten lassen. Zudem werden Personen mitunter überraschend eingeführt.
Kinder als Leitartikler:
Prem und seine Mitschüler und Geschwister haben Gedanken und Gefühle, die nur Erwachsene haben; schon als Fünftklässler reden und denken Prem und Freunde ganze Leitartikel gegen Ungerechtigkeit, Korruption, Monosodiumglutamat, das Massaker von 1973, Verschmutzung, das Massaker von 1976, Landraub, das Massaker von 1992, habgierige Kommunistenmörder, stupide Thailänder (über erwachsene Thais: "a pack of grinning, idiotic children") und stupide Lehrmethoden: "Peasantry ruled by thieves, scarcity, superstition, floods, drought, sickness, poverty, exploitation and injustice". Das tönt so teils mehr als eine absatzlose Seite am Stück, und das immer wieder neu quer durchs gesamte Buch. Dieser erste Buchteil unter dem Titel Monsoon Country war natürlich für den Nobelpreis nominiert – sagt der Autor auf seiner Webseite (gesehen Juni 2019).
Später im ersten Band studiert Prem in London, lernt Hiso-Thais kennen, gerät im verschneiten Deutschland in einen Todesfall unter Hochmögenden. Es gibt keinerlei Spannungsbogen, kaum Handlung, nur lasche Episoden – unterbrochen von leitartikelnden Briefen und klagenden Gedanken. Die Personen wirken papiern, die Hauptfigur ergeht sich in weinerlichem Weltschmerz und begreint "the torture inside" und "my maimed mind". Im zweiten Teil handeln Figuren völlig willkürlich, als ob sie keinerlei Persönlichkeit hätten und der Autor mit ihnen machte, was er will.
Viel zu lang:
Zu den Schwächen zählt auch, dass der Autor scheinbar fast alles erzählen muss, was er sieht, denkt, fühlt, aufnimmt. Und so wirkt auch das Buch: Der Haupttext meiner Ausgabe hat allein 721 Seiten – dazu kommt dann noch das Sammelsurium an Vorwörtern und enggedruckten Texten auf beiden Schutzumschlag-Innenklappen und auf der Schutzumschlag-Rückseite. Bleibt mal eine halbe Buchseite am Kapitelende frei, wird sie mit Fotos bedeckt – so arrangiert, bis die Seite voll ist.
Doch trotz dieser gravierenden Mängel habe ich zumindest das erste Buch interessiert gelesen: Das Leben im Dorf und später im Hauptstadtkloster wirken sehr realistisch; Armut und Dummheit erscheinen himmelschreiend, aber überwiegend nicht zu aufdringlich. Wenn ein Thai-Dörfler so schreibt, hat es mehr Authentizität als Thai-Dorf-Geschichten aus westlicher Feder – schade, dass Sudham es nicht besser kann und so egozentrisch literiert. Die Hi-So-Kreise in Eng-, Deutsch- und Thailand wirken ebenfalls interessant und scheinen authentisch zu sein. Zudem will man wissen, wie es mit dem wunderlichen Thaijungen nun weitergeht. Ungewöhnlich auch, permanent dröhnende pauschale Thailand- und Thailänderkritik von einem Thailänder zu vernehmen.
Stilfragen:
Sudham schreibt teils ein altmodisches, betuliches Englisch, oft selbstmitleidvoll, streng humorbefreit, Adjektiv-übersättigt, oft allzu aufdringlich alliterierend: "the slumbering seer", "mend my maimed mind" (mehrfach), "mentally maimed" (mehrfach), "Oh, my maimed mind", "mind-maiming method", "moribund men", "gleaming greedy eyes", "wary wordsmith", "bibulous billionaire", "meek manservant", "penurious people", "lone Londoner", "grabbing goblin", "glittering Grand Lady", "cried cattily", "pertly prattled", "proudly pontificated", "candidly crooned", "a young and pretty peasant girl", "woeful women were weeping", "hardly touch a hardened heart", "willing villagers", "silently surveyed the sooty scene", "submissive servant", "Buddha's delicate disciple", "Draconian Dani's vexed voice", "my pretty Yorkshire lass", "comely northern hilltribe lad", "puny Primo" (mehrfach), "Prim and Proper Prem", "flabby farang", "lumpy lap", "lambent landscape", "penurious peasants", "moneyed man", "meek mien" (2x auf S. 530, 532), "Heinz Hermann", "astute art-dealer", "aloof leader", "weary drifter", "vitriolic Dame", "mentally stunted", "the anxious bodyguard and the wary driver", "impecunious peasants", "habitually belligerent billionaire", "the sinisterly rich man's voice abrasively vibrated", "the damned of the earth in the heavenly lair of the sinisterly rich", "doleful mother", "impecunious farmer", "the ailing elder tremblingly inquired", "the diseased, somnolent soothsayer said".
Beim Studium in England liest die Hauptfigur auch nur altvordere Autoren vorvergangener Jahrhunderte, nichts aus dem 20. oder späten 19. Jahrhundert, mehrfach geht's um Shakespeare, Wuthering Heights oder Chaucer (erst im 2. Buch wird einmal Oscar Wilde erwähnt), und entsprechend altbacken und affektiert klingt Sudhams Englisch.
Dazu kommen gequälte Synonyme: So heißt der Mönch immer wieder "the ordained one" und eine junge Engländerin "Yorkshire lass" oder "the Yorkshire butcher's daughter".
Interessant: An einer Stelle philosophiert die Hauptfigur darüber, dass die Thaischrift keinen Punkt und keinen Zwischenraum zwischen den Wörtern verwendet. In seinem englisch geschriebenen Buch setzt Sudham das übliche einzelne Leerzeichen zwischen Wörtern und manchmal *mehrere* Leerzeichen nach einem Satz, z.B.:
It was getting cold and misty. The lakes looked empty and placid. Nothing moved. Small boats (…)
Wunderlich: Thailand heißt im Buch immer Siam, Bangkok ist Celestial City, Kroongthep oder Banger, und das Land Laos schreibt Sudham "Lao" – so, wie es ein Thailänder oder Laote spricht, wie man es im Englischen aber nicht schreibt.
Shadowed Country enthält wie auch Sudhams Kurzgeschichtenband People of Esarn diverse teils unbeschriftete SW-Fotos vom Landleben und ein Sammelsurium von Vorwörtern, die im Inhaltsverzeichnis unvollständig erscheinen und deren Urheber nicht vorgestellt werden – ein Verhau.
2. Buch:
Im zweiten Buch (ursprünglich einzeln als The Force of Karma veröffentlicht und eine Fortsetzung von Monsoon Country) blickt Sudham zunächst nicht auf Prem, die Hauptfigur von Teil 1 (Monsoon Country), sondern auf den superreichen Thai-Erben Dani, der aus London zu seinen Eltern nach Bangkok zurückkehrt; in Teil 1 war Dani zeitweise Londoner Gastgeber Prems. Die thailändischen Geschäftsleute mehren ihren Reichtum auch durch Vetternwirtschaft, Umweltsünden und Landraub.
Den Superreichtum von Bangkoks Crazy Rich Thais schildert Sudham aufdringlich sensationsheischend und mit banalstem Luxus-Name-Dropping: "Dom Perignon", "Rolex Cellini", "diamond-studded Piaget" (mehrfach), "Patek Phillipe", "chauffeur-driven Rolls-Royce", "Chateau D'Yquem". Doch "Louis Vuitton" (S. 324) schreibt Sudham bei aller Ehrfurcht ebenso falsch wie "mea culpa, mea maxima culpa" und den bayerischen Fluss Würm (S. 535).
Das Wort "billionaire" fällt vielleicht öfter als in jedem anderen Roman. Zwischendurch heißt dieselbe Figur einmal "millionaire". Sie sagt lässig: "I've transferred 100,000 pounds into your bank account" und schüttet auch sonst alles und jeden mit Geld, Luxusgesöffen und Uhren zu.
Die weiterhin massive, kombinierte Adjektiv- und Klischeehuberei samt Luxusverklärung erhellt auch aus diesen Sätzen von S. 333f:
The suave son was then escorted ahead of the high-ranking minions to the other end of the immense room where four be-suited businessmen and an astute lawyer and a pretty executive secretary were standing respectfully in wait at a long, shiny table… she made a coy glance at the insouciant son… still with a sanctimonious air, the righteous minister shook hands with the altruistic CEO (…)
Zum Ausgleich liefert Sudham matte Klischees vom Geschäftstrubel auf Bangkoks Straßen und ein paar Szenen aus Gogobars und Sexshows, auch homosexuelle Anzüglichkeiten unterdrückt er nicht. Dann wechselt die Geschichte aufs Dorf, und viele Motive von Buch 1 kehren wieder, dazu kommen aber die kommunistischen Rebellen im Dschungel. Ein amerikanischer CIA-Agent sagt ironiefrei so realistische Dinge wie (S. 351):
We Americans are so great and so powerful that there is no one who can make a tiny dent in our pride.
Warum ich den Schmarrn so lange gelesen hab':
Das Buch ist wirklich unterste Schublade, sprachlich und inhaltlich. Auf den letzten 80 von rund 727 Seiten Haupttext franst es völlig aus, es gibt Leitartikel-artige Seiten und Krimi-Stränge von Entführungen in Pattaya etc. pp. Ich musste es dann weglegen. Warum ich es überhaupt zum großen Teil las:
Ich mag Thailand.
Ich mag Dorfleben (nicht nur in Südostasien, sondern z.B. auch in Andalusien oder Oberbayern).
Es gibt halt so wenig von Thai-Autoren auf Englisch oder Deutsch (Rattawut Lapcharoensap schreibt um Lichtjahre besser als Pira Sudham, auch über Dörfer; aber er klingt schon wieder ein bisschen glatt und kalkuliert, nach zu viel Creative Writing-Kurs).
Das Buch hat mich gebraucht 3 oder 5 Euro gekostet, also muss es mich auch eine Zeitlang unterhalten, damit sich die Ausgabe rentiert. Allgemein fällt mir Abbrechen eines als schlecht erkannten Buches schwerer, als mir gut tut.
Assoziationen:
Der ostentative Superreichtum der Thaifamilie in Teil 2 mit lauter teuren Markennamen erinnert an Kevin Kwans Crazy Rich Asians in Singapur, wirkt aber bei Sudham noch deutlich flacher
Pira Sudhams Thai-Dorf-Geschichten aus People of Esarn (viele sehr ähnliche Motive, wegen der Kürze der einzelnen Stories weit erträglicher, ohne gruselige Alliterationen)
Die Thai-Dorf-Geschichten von Michael Smithies, Tarmo Jajasaari und Rattawut Lapcharoensap (allesamt viel besser)
Malaysia-Dorfroman Srengenge von Shanon Ahmad
Filme: Kambodscha-Dorf-Film Das Reisfeld von Rithy Panh (nach dem Srengenge-Roman) und Monrak (transistor) aus Thailand

[Ian McHugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book. The first half of the novel, covering the life and education of an Isan peasant boy, was beautifully written in places and gave a deep sense of the lives of the poorest of the poor in Thailand's border regions with Lao and Cambodia. The novel progresses through the formative years of the boy's life and shows Prem (the boy) interacting in a naive way with the tumultuous political upheavals of early- to mid-1970s Thailand. Such progression reminded me, in parts, of a David Copperfield narrative with many memorable characters along the way.

Education and circumstance ultimately result in Prem's move to Europe where the on-going interaction between East and West, rich and poor, educated and uneducated, is explored in Great Britain and Germany. Although obviously biographical in places, I thought Sudham lost some of the pace of the novel here. The absurdity of British upper-class etiquette and social custom is exposed as first being desirable for the conformist Prem, and then indicative of all that is wrong with Western society. Knowledge of the finest wines, 'correct' table manners and rules of conversations, and the best pieces of classical music and Western fashion are all articulated here to show the ridiculousness that they hold in the minds of those that have experienced or been exposed to poverty and hardship.

The political polemic running through the novel is clear and, often, is written well. Too often though, I felt the 'inner dialogue' that Sudham used to illustrate his main character's growing sense of unease at the world was in need of a firm editor. The same can be said of the return to Thailand that takes place at the end of the novel. Overall, the various themes of the novel are brought together and Prem's journey concludes where it began. Sudham ends "Monsoon Country" by stating that the story is 'too be continued' in the follow-up novel, "The Force Of Karma". Unfortunately, at least to this reader, the second half of the novel, when seen in this context, merely seems a prelude to the second book. This is a shame as, if the book *had* sustained the pacing and high-level prose of the opening, it could very well have gone on to have more coherence and give greater satisfaction for the reader.

Will I read the follow-up? Maybe one day...

[Syaa R. · Rating 4 out of 5]

🐃

it’s complex, it’s a lot to take and concerning as it touches on identity and survival in the clash of cultures.

this book lets you take a glance of a period in thailand involving the student uprising, contradiction of the underprivileged in the northeast compared to the west and i personally feel, is written to describe the tensions in communities vividly so readers from other nationalities understand the pov of an insider- which i believe was the reason why the writer wrote this in english language.

it lets you see a community that was comfortable with the barest minimum while knowing that the higher ups took more than they should have. corruption was that bad that they accepted this condition as if it was destined for them. what breaks me probably when parents couldn’t afford sending their kids to free school because they needed manpowers to keep the family going. else, some days when the kid didn’t attend school, it was understandable that they probably also had to be in the streets to beg for rice.

my notes are initially longer because i wrote it with rage fuelling up and there’s so much to discuss. i see the resemblance of The Return by K S Maniam as well in the narrative, especially the dilemmas one faced to be the first person in the community to make a change- super intense and sorrowful too.

sigh. after all, though we can’t save everyone, i think it shouldn’t be a petty reason to let a community in need go unnoticed. they obviously need more help to get themselves out from the dysfunctional system, don’t you think?

phew. i guess i need a break 😓

[Sierra Takushi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pira Sudham paints vivid images of water buffaloes sighing in the sweltering sun, children running barefoot in the rice paddy fields, western-educated teachers building schools out of abandoned structures in the Isarn countryside.

This book depicts being a child and later, an adult, in the Northeastern, rural, and poor part of Thailand that my mom WISHED I experienced last year. This book depicts a boy who leaves Isarn to go to school in the city and who continues leaving - leaving to England and then to Germany - leaving to keep writing and leaving to keep chasing the Western ways. At some point, he remembers to return to Thailand, and he is forced to reckon with the political undertones of the country that allowed him to leave, but also manifested in corruption and the deaths/massacres of his teachers and friends who protested for democracy.

This book gave me perspective on a time period and a lifestyle in Thailand that my mom has never illustrated for me — the 1976 student demonstrations at Thammassat University, where the military massacred students for their protests against dictatorship — or the undercurrents of fear and policing of perceived socialism during the Cold War. I like that this book gave me something new to chew on and made me think about educational privilege, and leaving family to become a well-traveled, and identity.

Made me really remember that unlike my cousins in Thailand, I am the product of someone who left the country. And though I have a connection of Thailand now, I have not lived life as a Thai person in Thailand.

[John Waterworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book stood on my shelf, unread, for at least 30 years - since the time a signed copy was obtained in Bangkok. Having nothing else to read, I took it down and opened it. Curiously, there was an author's introduction that had been neatly cut from the front of the book, and then inserted back in. I suppose this note was considered too critical of the local situation and was removed when sold to Thais - but not farangs. It's an interesting, semi-autobiographical novel written by a native of one of the poorest parts and social groups of Thailand. He shows great awareness of people and places, which in the book include his own village, the Thai city, London, other parts of England, Germany and Paris - eventually returning to his home with heightened awareness of the injustices and exploitation there. He writes quite well, not great writing but still manages to evoke situations with some vividness and, mostly, plausibility. The narrator is sometimes a bit too good to be true, but other times believably not so nice. I had my doubts at times, though the unusual perspective is consistently interesting. By the end I was convinced and thoroughly engaged, and wouldn't mind trying another by the same author.

[Pavuluzza Gnucca · Rating 3 out of 5]

"La terra dei monsoni" è un buon romanzo di formazione, ma anche sull'esilio e la lotta identitaria e culturale di chi vive tra due mondi molto diversi tra loro.
Il libro ha tanti tratti autobiografici, che a volte sembrano emergere anche nell'uso della lingua che il narratore usa quasi sempre alla terza persona passando a volte alla seconda, dove parla con il personaggio principale come se parlasse a se stesso.
Sono molto belle le descrizioni delle pianure e delle risaie del nordest del Vietnam, così come la trasposizione dell'intima relazione del protagonista con quell'ambiente ed i suoi abitanti (uomini e animali). I dialoghi ed i pensieri invece risultano poco naturali e sinceri, sembrano quasi la trasposizione di una profonda riflessione da parte dell'autore/narratore che fa dire e pensare ai suoi personaggi cose molto belle, ma che risultano così poco sincere, immediate ed un po' didascaliche.
Tutto sommato però "La terra dei monsoni" è una buona lettura.

[Alexandra Porshnikoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book in one sitting. I plan to re-read it, since some elements of the story shook me to the core and I think the subsequent passages were lost on me.

Some of the most profound events were either eluded to, briefly mentioned, or glossed over. I found myself doing many double-takes, and having "WAIT...WHAT?!" moments.

The book was thought-provoking on privilege, opportunity, human rights, social justice, animal rights, environmental justice, and the far-reaching effects of selfishness and corruption.

I can't wait to read his other books.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scoperto per caso "La terra dei monsoni" mi ha subito catturata. L'ho letto velocemente perché è molto avvincente. Un romanzo che passa dell'Oriente all'Occidente per poi ritornare a casa. Mai banale , sempre composto , non annoia e non ha niente a che vedere con la Thailandia turistica e neppure con i fatti dell'Occidente anche se alcune tematiche sono sottointese. L'inizio mi aveva lasciato nel dubbio che fosse la solita storiella e invece no. C'è molta profondità in questa lettura. È uno dei pochi libri che mi spiace abbandonare dopo essere arrivata alla fine.

[Ricky · Rating 5 out of 5]

1

[Gena Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my favorites. Poignant, gentle yet adventurous.

[Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a special book.

[Christine Hall]

Included in Shadowed Country.

[Josh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sudham's novel is clearly close to autobiographical and it gives a detailed and (what feels like) honest portrayal about growing up in the northeast Thai countryside and then finding a voice in the Western world as he comes of age in the 1960s and 70s. The story is a unique one, set amid a period when Thailand and SE Asia was struggling with political strife, violence and corruption, and Prem's own personal struggle to find a critical voice and useful place in life proves both insightful to Sudham's cultural experiences and to be a universal individual journey. Great peeks at rural life in a landscape and time that few can know, as well as what it feels like to step into 1970s Europe as an immigrant prone to influence and prejudice. Some flashes of Hesse here, too.

[Alix · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those books that totally transports a person. I can understand why Sudham was nominated for the Nobel Prize in Literature. His writing is simple but powerful. He expertly bridges the gap between east and west, successfully bringing his native Thai culture alive for a western audience. I feel like I know more about the Thai culture after reading this book than in spending two months in Thailand. I'd recommend this to anyone both as an entertaining book and an educational piece of literature.

[sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The language is a bit more bare-boned than I would have liked, but some people may find that appealing. As the novel went on, it explored some very genuine conflicts of being an expat from a much poorer nation, but I found the ending very much unsatisfactory. It is probably autobiographical in some ways, so I appreciate it from that perspective. But from the literary perspective, I found it wanting.

[charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book but was dissappointed with how it finished. It is a wonderful book giving insight into life of impoverished farmers from Northern Thailand, the daily struggles they face and their approach to these hardships and their lot in life. It will leave you angry and saddened.

[Carman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful exploration of the people of Isaan, Northeast Thailand. The book deserves wider recognition as it captures the tension of urban/rural relations and rural poverty. A rags to riches story, or rather a riches to rags to riches. That is not a spoiler.

[Rene · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another book by a Thai author. Pira Sudham was even nominated for the Nobel Prize for literature. The book gives a good impression of life in Thailand, upcountry. This book too, I read a long time ago, but I still remember my feelings when I read it. Hence this late review. Recommended!

[Josie Crimp · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was really glad to have read this and I feel it helped me get a better understanding of Thai culture and history. However, I found the second half somewhat dry and meaningless. Or maybe that is my Western mind convinced that all meanings must be explicit!

[Eric Smith · Rating 3 out of 5]

A peculiar book. The story was interesting, but the author's style is very idiosyncratic.

[Clarissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great depiction of Thailand and struggle to move from rice patches to university and beyond.

[Emily Cobcoban]

i thinks this story is good