back to some thai literature with (allegedly) a modern classic of late 80s thai hippiedom with chart korbjitti’s พันธุ์หมาบ้า (mad dog & co. in english translation which more or less captures the spirit though i’ve heard quite bad things about this translation). it’s a sprawling 600+ page-turner comprising mostly of ragtag stories exchanged over pints and joints centered around a group of struggling friends trying to navigate the already stringent effects of neoliberalism recently washed up on thai shores. as for writing, this is me giving chart a second chance to redeem his morally-loaded stories but remnants still remains which i am not a fan of; still, being partly autobiographical, there‘s enough nuance and character development that sustained my interest and made me somewhat invested, though i’m concerned that this is further proof to the quality of the substance of the work rather than the execution. i particularly enjoyed the dialogue and profanity (some very good and funny bits which is rare for thai books imo) but it lacks certain depth that such a saga warranted.
Like most of Charts writing in English I find this book tedious in the extreme. Watching paint dry would be more interesting. The few insights into Thai culture and society are buried beneath monotonous detailed description