Consul in Paradise describes a life full of interest, and a world that is now long past. Embracing all of Siamese life we discover a racing stable with just one pony and Siam expertise in beetle fighting, the Siamese language and etiquette, and the nuances between the mountain tribes. It relates a distant period of diplomacy, a time when Wood's duties could include concocting love potions, exorcising evil spirits (at one time from a rice bin), and creating huge straw hats to protect elephants from sunstroke. This evocative portrait of a corner of the British Empire, an entertaining encounter between Victorian Britain and Siam, "consists merely of a little of the froth collected by a cork which has floated for 68 years on the seas of Siamese and Anglo-Siamese life".
Rezensionen / Stimmen
But it is the froth one remembers * New York Times * The book is full of good stories, some funny, some gruesome. What gives it its charm is not Mr. Wood's portrayal of Siam, but his own unconscious portrayal of himself. * Punch *
Auflage
Sprache
Verlagsort
Verlagsgruppe
Produkt-Hinweis
Illustrationen
12 pp black and white photographs
Maße
Höhe: 217 mm
Breite: 135 mm
Dicke: 11 mm
Gewicht
ISBN-13
978-0-285-64369-7 (9780285643697)
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Schweitzer Klassifikation
W.A.R. Wood was appointed in 1896 by Queen Victoria appointed as a Consular Officer in Siam (now Thailand). He spent 69 years in the country, rising to become British Consul-General. During World War II, Wood was interned as an enemy alien. He also wrote one of the first histories of Thailand, A History of Siam. He died in 1970.
William Alfred Rae Wood was born in Liverpool in 1878. He arrived in Thailand in 1896 and he died there in 1970. During World War Two he was interned as an enemy alien and also wrote one of the first histories of Thailand, A History of Siam.
