THURSDAY, JULY 06, 2006
The King Never Smiles
Book: The King Never Smiles
My review copy of The King Never Smiles arrived several days ago, much to my surprise. I had requested a review copy several months ago from Yale University Press, but never received a response to my email, so figured it was a dead deal. Oh well. Anyway, last night I went over the front and back matter, read the extensive footnotes crammed in the back of the book (I hate that), and launched into the middle of the book since I didn't want to go through the early childhood of the king all over again. Yes, I know, he's the only king born in the United States, but big deal. And all that stuff about the assassination of Ananda gets pretty old, since nobody really seems to know who put a bullet through the front of his head.
I headed to the chapter entitled "Family Headaches" to get a quick rundown of what's happening with the four children of the king. Most of the stuff was very familiar but there were a few bombshells discreetly laid around the academic analysis of the royal family and their problems with progeny.
I'm not an academic but have a fairly good grasp of basic Thai history from my decades of travel and writing about the region, and I'd say this book is somewhat difficult for anyone not familiar with Thailand's recent history, and the Thai names are always a problem for pretty much everyone, but Handley's discourse is fairly friendly and accessible, though you might want to keep notes on cards if you intend to really follow the story of interactions between king and the Thai military. The book seems to be more about the Thai military and political struggles than about the royal family, and the tone is even and measured throughout, so don't expect some tabloid treatment of the royal family. You really need to read between the lines, and the final sentence in select paragraphs is where Handley reveals something personal. He also ends each chapter with a cliffhanger, in much the same way as the Da Vinci Code. This book will never be a blockbuster, and I assume very few people in Thailand will ever get ahold of a copy, but it's a rare experience to read such a book which goes against the grain of most Thais. Hopefully I'll be able to report more, but I need to be careful so that this blog is not blocked by Thai internet authorities.
Book Description
Thailand’s Bhumibol Adulyadej, the only king ever born in the United States, came to the throne of his country in 1946 and is now the worldÂ’s longest-serving monarch. The King Never Smiles, the first independent biography of Thailand's monarch, tells the unexpected story of Bhumibol's life and sixty-year rule—how a Western-raised boy came to be seen by his people as a living Buddha, and how a king widely seen as beneficent and apolitical could in fact be so deeply political and autocratic.
Paul Handley provides an extensively researched, factual account of the king’s youth and personal development, ascent to the throne, skillful political maneuverings, and attempt to shape Thailand as a Buddhist kingdom. Handley takes full note of Bhumibol's achievements in art, in sports and jazz, and he credits the king's lifelong dedication to rural development and the livelihoods of his poorest subjects. But, looking beyond the widely accepted image of the king as egalitarian and virtuous, Handley portrays an anti-democratic monarch who, together with allies in big business and the corrupt Thai military, has protected a centuries-old, barely modified feudal dynasty.
When at nineteen Bhumibol assumed the throne, the Thai monarchy had been stripped of power and prestige. Over the ensuing decades, Bhumibol became the paramount political actor in the kingdom, silencing critics while winning the hearts and minds of his people. The book details this process and depicts Thailand’s unique constitutional monarch—his life, his thinking, and his ruling philosophy.
About the Author
Paul M. Handley is a freelance journalist who lived and worked as a foreign correspondent in Asia for more than twenty years, including thirteen in Thailand.
Amazon Lin
POSTED BY CARL PARKES ON THURSDAY, JULY 06, 2006
LABELS: BOOKS AND PUBLISHING, THAI ROYAL FAMILY, THAILAND
4 COMMENTS:
Anonymous said...
There are a few folk over at www.2bangkok.com who would like to know what the 'bombshells' are. I know some people who have ordered the book and who are waiting to see if it will be intercepted, either when sent by Amazon or by a third party. We understand that Friskodude can't do this, for fear of jeopardising relations with publishers, but some other reader might want to drop us a few hints.
Thanks!
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showthread.php?t=1679
10:34 PM
mjochim said...
Received my copy yesterday in Phuket, sent by Amazon w/o any problems. I'll report more when I've had a chance to sit down with the book...
11:42 PM
Anonymous said...
Several sections of the banned book have been translated into Thai by a variety of anonymous persons.
Some royalist editors on Thai Wikipedia insist on deleting links to the partial translations of The King Never Smiles on the grounds that they are political propaganda.
The Wikipedia article stub is here, the stub discussion page is here.
The translated introduction is available here: http://www.geocities.com/kingneversmiles/intro.html.
The translated 15th chapter is available here: http://tknsthai.googlepages.com.
10:05 AM
Anonymous said...
Several sections of the book have been anonymously translated into Thai.
Some royalist editors on Thai Wikipedia insist on deleting links to partial translations of The King Never Smiles on the grounds that they are political propaganda.
The Wikipedia article stub is here, the stub discussion page is here.
The translated introduction is available here: http://www.geocities.com/kingneversmiles/intro.html.
The translated 15th chapter is available here: http://tknsthai.googlepages.com.
10:07 AM
http://friskodude.blogspot.com/2006/07/king-never-smiles.html
