SIAMESE ANGLOPHILE: 50s British Schoolboy to 90s American Adman My Life of Jobs

by Teddy Spha Palasthira

Siamese Anglophile is about the lifetime work of a Siamese born in London and nicknamed ‘Teddy’ by his English nanny. It is a heart-warming story of his eclectic and amusing experiences starting in 50s Britain and ending in 90s America. The Anglo-Saxon world is seen through the lens of an English speaking polyglot, with idiosyncratic insights and historical observations through a series of jobs from fruit-picking in Essex to performing as an extra in James Bond films at Pinewood studios to learning the ropes of the advertising industry in boomtown Manhattan. Here is a nostalgic memoir that starts more than half a century ago and conjures up the optimistic outlook of life at that time. Teddy’s journey from London mailman to adman in Manhattan is amusingly told, with a wealth of fascinating anecdotes and historical references along the way, on working in post-war and sixties Britain, on the advertising business in the days before the Internet, and finally on teaching and travelling in America in the nineties. Teddy combines nostalgia and contemporary insights into the world of yesteryear peppered with wryly humorous narratives.

256 pages, Paperback

Published January 15, 2023

Reviews

[Margaret · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full of so many facts! I learned a lot of interesting tidbits about England, the advertising business and most relevant of all, Thailand, as I bought this at the Chiang Mai airport during my trip there. He's a charming guy, would love to have tea with him and be regaled with stories of days gone by.

[Peter Grundberg · Rating 5 out of 5]

A charming recollection of a charmed life well lived !