[buadhai]

pautai, on 2005-04-23 00:29:56, said:

there are very few if any thai language book outlets
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

This is just not true. Even here in Korat there are a number of book stores. Klang Plaza has two, including a B2S which is always full of people and has a nice coffee shop inside which is also often full of readers.

There are several Se Ed outlets, including two at The Mall, both of which are so jammed it's hard to get through the aisles.

Not far from Chumpol Gate there is a book rental place that is a prime source for comics. Granted, comics are not great literature, but if they get people into a reading habit then good on them.

[siamesekitty]

Was going to post something similar though worded a bit differently

Yes Thailand does have quite a few bookstores, but lacks good public libraries. A bookworm would have to set aside a budget if he/she were to satisfy an appetite for books, whereas in the more developed countries you could just stroll over to your local library and borrow some.

There are many comic rental shops, it's a good business because the comics themselves are cheap, and they are rented out for 10% of the price. Get 10 people and you've covered the cost of the book!

By the way, I practiced reading Thai through comics. Really helps, as you become familiar with some frequently used vocab as well as its usage. Great for learning pronouns (on an informal level, that is)

[RamdomChances]

Are there many Thai language "novels" ? I've never really seen any and most Thais dont have the language skills to read a book and fully understand it in English. My wife reads "comics", magazines, travel books and the odd ref book. Never seen her read a novel though.

[~G~]

GF reads "nangsue joking", both comic and other. Especially likes the Lao language comic books.

[siamesekitty]

RamdomChances, on 2005-04-23 11:04:30, said:

Are there many Thai language "novels" ? I've never really seen any and most Thais dont have the language skills to read a book and fully understand it in English. My wife reads "comics", magazines, travel books and the odd ref book. Never seen her read a novel though.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'm not an expert on Thai literature, but from what I've seen, many of the novels sold are translations of English-language novels. There are some Thai-language novels out there as well, but I don't think they have a huge following, at least until some of these are turned into Thai TV soap operas

Thai literature might be perceived as "boring", I suppose.

[chuchok]

the missus is a book worm! All Thai, but every bloody week a "new" book appears.At one stage she was reading so much it started to piss me off.I confronted her with it and she gave me the hairy eyeball incredulous look and said to me "You have to feed the brain!"

I nealy fell off my chair laughing...it was all in the look.

[RamdomChances]

I've seen books with their english titles but writen in Thai, these look really thin are they direct translations or just a "summary" of the book ?

[siamesekitty]

RamdomChances, on 2005-04-23 12:12:29, said:

I've seen books with their english titles but writen in Thai, these look really thin are they direct translations or just a "summary" of the book ?
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Err, not sure, will check it out next time I'm in a bookstore!

If they're extremely thin they might be summaries (to help out the students?) but if there's not much of a difference it might just be that the translations use less space. Thai and English text are rarely exactly the same length.

[aletta]

You wont catch anyone reading a book in rural Isaan.
Comics yes
magazines yes

This post has been edited by aletta: 2005-04-23 15:08

[pautai]

aletta, on 2005-04-23 15:01:03, said:

You wont catch anyone reading a book in rural Isaan.
Comics yes
magazines yes
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

they do have a lot of spare time on their hands too , but they like to chillout and play cards , hi-lo , drafts , pick their noses , slug on a whiskey or maybe drop by a brothel for a quick look and sing a kareoki song or 2 .
you wont see anybody reading Salinger , Orwell or Hemmingway

[RamdomChances]

Quote

they do have a lot of spare time on their hands too , but they like to chillout and play cards , hi-lo , drafts , pick their noses , slug on a whiskey or maybe drop by a brothel for a quick look and sing a kareoki song or 2

If I had the money to live like that I dont think it pick up a book either

[Nordlys]

One of my biggest surprises in Thailand is that nobody seems to know the diary of Anne Frank, let alone read it (even though there is an Thai-translated version of it). I'm not even from western country but it's a reading you grow up with when you are kid, that it literally takes a retarded person not to know of her diary. I thought the book has a universal message and I used to think it is read in any countries of any culture and religion except a country with little freedom of expression like Burma or North Korea, but I haven't come across a single Thai who even knows the name Anne Frank. I was shocked when I found out my wife didn't know, then later found not even my Chula graduated friends nor a Thai BOI sraff living in Germany (who's fluent in German) knew of her and her famous diary. Ask your Thai friend, wife, GF, or whoever it is around you. I bet s/he doesn't know.

[Oleg_Rus]

Also, nobody reads "Crime and punishment", "War and Peace", "Gulag Archipelago" ... btw, who is Anne Frank ?
cheers

[richb2004]

My wife reads a lot of celebrity gossip magazines. She often buys a few a day and they never take more than half an hour to read cover to cover. They are absolute trash. She occasionally reads an actual book which will normally be about a Thai person that has experience the incredible world outside Thailand. Otherwise the book will be about some one who has made a lot of money or made it as a TV star. I always complain about this and encourage her to read real books. She asked me recently to pick something out for her. The selection of recognizable books was slim but I settled on a Fredrick Forsyth collection of short stories. That was about two months ago. She has read five pages and countless trash magazines in between!! Should I be bothered? Probably not, but it does frustrate me. Many of the Thai books widely available seem to be either about Buddhism or past kings as far as I can see, plus a few translations of American best sellers. I have never seen any books on world history or popular science in the shops I have visited. I have seen plenty of books about astrology but non about astronomy. If people can’t read the books how are they ever going to learn such things, I certainly don’t see to many educational programs on Thai TV.
I work in the Middle East and North Africa and find that the locals there are perplexed when they see me reading a book. Any spare time that they might have for reading they use for sleeping (or praying! ).
I think that this is an important difference between the developed world and the developing world. We have an interest in a wide range of topics and subject and access to the appropriate books. Unfortunately those who need the information to catch up do not have it available to them.
I also find that many hobbies are looked at as eccentricities here in Thailand. I think many Thais are to busy trying to live and don't have time or the inclination for anything other than the essentials.
Alternatively I could be completely wrong. There may be many intelligent books that I have over looked and Thais could be reading in their own homes.

As for the question 'who is Ann Frank'? I was told by a long time resident of Thailand with two kids in school that the schools here teach little in the way of history and that they certainly teach nothing about any wars including WWI, WWII, Vietnam or the Korean War. I don’t know how true this is, but it’s a sad thing if it is. I can quite imagine it being true.

[Nordlys]

Oleg_Rus, on 2005-04-23 17:07:24, said:

Also, nobody reads "Crime and punishment", "War and Peace", "Gulag Archipelago" ... btw, who is Anne Frank ?
cheers
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

From your selection of books and your handle name I am assuming you are Russian and they don't teach about Anne Frank in Russia? Assuming Russians to be very anti-Nazi I thought Russians would know Anne Frank too but I guess it's not as universal as I thought...

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detai...450208?v=glance

I know crime and punishment and war and peace (actually have it but never read it lol), but not Gulag Archipelago...

[sbk]

My husband loves to read books but there are no Thai language bookstores here, the nearest one is in Koh Samui at the Tesco Lotus. Lets face it, for the average Thai 300 baht ++ a book is extremely expensive. Both of the girls who work for us love to read but certainly cannot afford to buy many books on their salaries when kids and living expenses necessarily come first. It seems to me the height of arrogance to assume that just because you don't see many people reading a book is because they don't like to read. Start thinking about the choices people have to make in their daily lives and then decide how many would choose to buy a book rather than pay for their kids education.

[plachon]

Nordlys, on 2005-04-23 09:35:20, said:

One of my biggest surprises in Thailand is that nobody seems to know the diary of Anne Frank, let alone read it (even though there is an Thai-translated version of it).  I'm not even from western country but it's a reading you grow up with when you are kid, that it literally takes a retarded person not to know of her diary.  I thought the book has a universal message and I used to think it is read in any countries of any culture and religion except a country with little freedom of expression like Burma or North Korea, but I haven't come across a single Thai who even knows the name Anne Frank.  I was shocked when I found out my wife didn't know, then later found not even my Chula graduated friends nor a Thai BOI sraff living in Germany (who's fluent in German) knew of her and her famous diary.  Ask your Thai friend, wife, GF, or whoever it is around you.  I bet s/he doesn't know.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Wanna bet Nordlys? I'll wager you a crate of Heineken that you're wrong.......Are we on?

Guess what my wife is reading at this very moment? Sorry dude, that's a dozen greenies you owe me.

She's been reading it for the past couple of weeks and has been quite shocked that the nasty farangs could do that kind of thing to one another. She was even more shocked when I told her about the genocide that went on in Cambodia just 30 years ago. Thais are generally more aware of European history and literature, than they are with SE Asian equivalents, which is rather a shame, but not altogether surprising. Bit like the footie I guess.

Somebody said they wanted some stats on Thai reading habits. The following are taken from a Bangkok Post article (Titled: "Knowledge Society, PM wants to improve reading rate") I cut out of the paper, but unfortunately neglected to record the date. Sometime last year I believe. Apparently, Thais:


* read on average 8 lines per year

* spend 0.02 minutes in a library each year

* children over 10 years old, spend less than 3 minutes reading a book annually

Those are pretty frightening stats, if true, and prompted the irrepressible PM to state: "The trend needed to be reversed urgently or Thailand could not compete with other countries" and "Money is not a problem, as the government attaches importance to people learning". He promised to spend more on libraries round the country.

That's all well and good Mr PM, but one can't help thinking if people are only encouraged to read so that they can compete in your brave new world, the beauty and essence of reading for the sheer pleasure of a good novel will not be encouraged or fostered. Hence, the proliferation of "How to make a million dollars" and "Twenty must know secrets of a self-made millionaire" type of books dominating the shelves of the average Thai bookstore, not forgetting the computer manuals and "mor duu" books.

Yet, some people still manage to find Ann Frank's diary tucked away and Hemingway translations, so there's hope for the nation yet.

[Richard W]

pautai, on 2005-04-22 17:29:56, said:

Worst of all right in the heart of Uni area -MBK does not have one single bookshop ! it did have one some years back but it closed .
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you talking about this one?

SE-ED Book Center MahBoonKrong Branch
MahBoonkrong Shopping Centre, 7th Floor, Thailand
Tel: 02-611-7165
Fax: 02-216-3551

It was still open in November. It used to be several floors lower down (4th, I think) 6 years ago.

[Patex]

Oleg_Rus, on 2005-04-23 17:07:24, said:

Also, nobody reads "Crime and punishment", "War and Peace", "Gulag Archipelago" ... btw, who is Anne Frank ?
cheers
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I read'em all, except Anne Frank's dairy. Daughter is addicted to Harry Potter in Thai and one part she also has in English.

Regards, Patex

[Tarragona]

Richard W, on 2005-04-23 22:47:45, said:

pautai, on 2005-04-22 17:29:56, said:

Worst of all right in the heart of Uni area -MBK does not have one single bookshop ! it did have one some years back but it closed .
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you talking about this one?

SE-ED Book Center MahBoonKrong Branch
MahBoonkrong Shopping Centre, 7th Floor, Thailand
Tel: 02-611-7165
Fax: 02-216-3551

It was still open in November. It used to be several floors lower down (4th, I think) 6 years ago.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd guess he's talking about the DK that used to be there. He's obviously never gone across to Siam Square.

[Nordlys]

How about a bottle of greeny?

Well I'm really glad your wife is reading it.
How did she find out about the book and what prompted her to read it?

And are you now telling me most Thai people don't know the Cambodian genocide of 3 million people just across from our border mere 30 years ago????

.... and average 3 minutes of reading annually?????

plachon, on 2005-04-23 22:46:53, said:

Wanna bet Nordlys? I'll wager you a crate of Heineken that you're wrong.......Are we on? 

Guess what my wife is reading at this very moment? Sorry dude, that's a dozen greenies you owe me. 

She's been reading it for the past couple of weeks and has been quite shocked that the nasty farangs could do that kind of thing to one another. She was even more shocked when I told her about the genocide that went on in Cambodia just 30 years ago. Thais are generally more aware of European history and literature, than they are with SE Asian equivalents, which is rather a shame, but not altogether surprising. Bit like the footie I guess. 

Somebody said they wanted some stats on Thai reading habits. The following are taken from a Bangkok Post article (Titled: "Knowledge Society, PM wants to improve reading rate") I cut out of the paper, but unfortunately neglected to record the date. Sometime last year I believe. Apparently, Thais:


* read on average 8 lines per year

* spend 0.02 minutes in a library each year

* children over 10 years old, spend less than 3 minutes reading a book annually

Those are pretty frightening stats, if true, and prompted the irrepressible PM to state: "The trend needed to be reversed urgently or Thailand could not compete with other countries" and "Money is not a problem, as the government attaches importance to people learning". He promised to spend more on libraries round the country.

That's all well and good Mr PM, but one can't help thinking if people are only encouraged to read so that they can compete in your brave new world, the beauty and essence of reading for the sheer pleasure of a good novel will not be encouraged or fostered. Hence, the proliferation of "How to make a million dollars" and "Twenty must know secrets of a self-made millionaire" type of books dominating the shelves of the average Thai bookstore, not forgetting the computer manuals and "mor duu" books.

Yet, some people still manage to find Ann Frank's diary tucked away and Hemingway translations, so there's hope for the nation yet.   
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[brianbrain]

How about Chula University Bookshop, located "round the back" of Siam Square? It was very busy with customers (browsers) when I visited today.

Tarragona, on 2005-04-23 23:06:04, said:

Richard W, on 2005-04-23 22:47:45, said:

pautai, on 2005-04-22 17:29:56, said:

Worst of all right in the heart of Uni area -MBK does not have one single bookshop ! it did have one some years back but it closed .
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Are you talking about this one?

SE-ED Book Center MahBoonKrong Branch
MahBoonkrong Shopping Centre, 7th Floor, Thailand
Tel: 02-611-7165
Fax: 02-216-3551

It was still open in November. It used to be several floors lower down (4th, I think) 6 years ago.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

I'd guess he's talking about the DK that used to be there. He's obviously never gone across to Siam Square.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[brianbrain]

Okay, so they start reading (looking at?) comic books from a young age. And by the time they reach their 20s or 30s they, erm... well they still read comic books. Sure there are exceptions, but the truth is that for whatever reason, most Thai people do not read books without pictures.

Sarpedon, on 2005-04-22 09:17:55, said:

There is hardly any reading culture in Thailand. I know people around my age (29) who have never picked up a novel and during their education, have never been encouraged to do so outside of their text books.

Even reading comics or magzines is a good thing since it encourages a culture of reading and books from a young age. These days its all about mobile phones, game consoles and Thai soap opera or gameshows.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[Nordlys]

Well, different values (and priorities) for different people, I guess.
I agree you have to have money to buy a book and a time so you can read, but for me book shopping is not what I do because I have some disposable income to spend, in fact it's the last commodity I have to save on.

I often envy my wife for how cheaply she can buy books in Thailand. Often I spend some B1,500 + to buy a same book my wife can get for B300 +. Of course the freight to Thailand would add the cost to the book but where I'm from often a magazine can cost more than B300. I think the prices of books in Thailand are set in line with the Thai scale of ecnomy.

I'm often surprised how much people of my parents' generation read, even during the war time when there was hardly a food to eat. That is when my country (Japan) was much poorer than Thailand. I often hear how books were their best friends and how much readings sustained them in their most difficult times. Often soldiers brought books with them to the war front.

Even in Bangkok I don't find many books I'm looking for. So I just don't bother going to a book store if I know what book to buy, just order it through amazon.co.jp.

sbk, on 2005-04-23 22:38:11, said:

My husband loves to read books but there are no Thai language bookstores here, the nearest one is in Koh Samui at the Tesco Lotus. Lets face it, for the average Thai 300 baht ++ a book is extremely expensive.  Both of the girls who work for us love to read but certainly cannot afford to buy many books on their salaries when kids and living expenses necessarily come first. It seems to me the height of arrogance to assume that just because you don't see many people reading a book  is because they don't like to read. Start thinking about the choices people have to make in their daily lives and then decide how many would choose to buy a book rather than pay for their kids education.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

[bambob]

sbk, on 2005-04-23 07:38:11, said:

My husband loves to read books but there are no Thai language bookstores here, the nearest one is in Koh Samui at the Tesco Lotus. Lets face it, for the average Thai 300 baht ++ a book is extremely expensive.  Both of the girls who work for us love to read but certainly cannot afford to buy many books on their salaries when kids and living expenses necessarily come first. It seems to me the height of arrogance to assume that just because you don't see many people reading a book  is because they don't like to read. Start thinking about the choices people have to make in their daily lives and then decide how many would choose to buy a book rather than pay for their kids education.
<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

you raise a valid point ,however they still seem to find themoney to top up their mobilephones to gas about nothing for hours on end .that money could but a book purchase .