In The Kingdom of Make Believe

By : Steve Rosse
Views : 832

To thine own self be true, says a famous father to a famous son, but like many things our fathers press upon us ego identity can be a heavy burden. After half a century of failures and embarrassments self awareness may feel like a stone around a man’s neck. Happily, when the self-loathing begins to crush a man there is a place where he can set down the hated stone and take on instead a light string of braided jasmine flowers. This place is called The Kingdom of Make Believe.

Have you always wanted to be a famous painter, but never had the talent or the determination to sustain years of study and practice? Move to the Kingdom and rent a shop front on any beach. Fill your new store with two-dimensional tropical landscapes populated by stiff palm trees and disproportioned buffalo. If you can’t manage even bad representational art simply throw cheap house paint at enormous canvases. Price them dear but not too dear. Invent a history for yourself, cobbled together from the biographies of some artist you read about and the guy you most admired in high school. Wear the usual beach garb but spatter it with paint. Smoke and drink a LOT. The tourists will worship you. You can even teach classes. In this same way you can be a writer, a photographer, a sculptor, or a musician. Just say you are something, and in the Kingdom of Make Believe nobody will ever contradict you. Say it often enough, and with enough conviction, and you will actually become whatever you say you are. Being a writer is easiest, because you can pay to print a book with your name on the cover and who could argue with such an impressive prop?

Did you fail at a career back home? Did you have a boring job that never impressed the ladies? In the Kingdom of Make Believe you can be on vacation from, or be retired from, whatever career you choose. Hell, you can be successful at a different fascinating occupation every day. An airline pilot on Monday, gemologist on Tuesday, rock n’ roll roadie on Wednesday, aboriginal art dealer on Thursday, master chef on Friday, stock trader on Saturday, defrocked bishop on Sunday. In the Kingdom of Make Believe you only have to say the name of the thing and you become that thing. The only caveat to remember is: make sure you establish the occupation of your audience before you begin spinning tales; it is embarrassing to be half-way through the description of your latest photo safari to Africa when you discover the man you’re talking to is the Director of the Omaha Zoo.

And since I’ve mentioned impressing ladies, remember that the Kingdom of Make Believe is populated by all sorts of impressionable women, who will line up to bat their eyelashes and make awestruck “Oooooooooh…” sounds over the man who can describe himself in glowing terms without the burdens of humility or honesty. There is of course a class of women in the Kingdom whose very job is to flatter men, and who actually do not care at all what a man is or has been or has done as long as he is even the slightest bit generous with his money. But there are also local women in the Kingdom who will believe that you are whatever you say you are because they have grown up thinking that all foreigners are exotic and special, and then there are female tourists who come to the Kingdom of Make Believe on holiday expecting to do a little reinventing of their own. Everywhere a man looks in the Kingdom he is likely to find a pair of admiring feminine eyes and a pair of gullible feminine ears.

Men who come to the Kingdom in order to design and construct new characters to walk around in find out early that being vague is crucial. You can say that you have twenty-five years of experience at something, but never say where. Say you’ve got a university education, or even that you taught classes in a university, but avoid mentioning the name of the institution or the years you were there. Say you served with distinction in the military, but avoid mentioning the branch or outfit or duty station. If you go to the extreme of creating a Web site to advertise the New You be careful not to include a resume or references. Mention that you have a list of prestigious clients but do not mention them by name.

And while we’re on the subject of names, avoid using your own name in conversation, in e-mail, in blog postings or anywhere on your Web site. In the old days, when people still handed out business cards, there were guys in the Kingdom who had only their nickname on their cards, in fact there are some guides to the Kingdom that say the most important part of the whole transformation is finding the correct nickname. Fate forces the most ridiculous names upon us at birth, and often our governments force us to list those lackluster names among the information included in our passports. But nobody can weave a beautiful tapestry of fresh identity while wearing a name tag that says, “Hi! My name is Dull Bob.” It’s even worse if the name on your passport is a name once in the newspapers for molesting the paperboy, or stealing the church charity funds. You don’t want Google bursting a perfectly enjoyable bubble of imagined autobiography.

The most common route to a Kingdom nickname is to pick a place name that has curb appeal, then attach a masculine given name to it: Yosemite Sam, Indiana Jones, Minnesota Fats. But you don’t need to limit yourself to the same old tried and true formula, in fact the choice of a nickname is one of the more enjoyable aspects of the whole delightful process of reinventing yourself in the Kingdom of Make Believe. Why not be “Haad Yai Harry” for a week, then pass as “Cheap Charlie” for a monsoon season in Surat, dabble with being “The Situation” for a Songkran holiday on Samui, then try on a weekend in Phuket as “Papa Joe” before finally settling in as “Big Dog” in Chiang Rai? In the Kingdom of Make Believe you never need to be somebody you don’t like.

It is of course important to always introduce yourself as The Nickname and never as The Passport Name. Always. This cannot be stressed too much. Nothing brings down the party like somebody knowing your real name. Somebody discovering your real name in the Kingdom of Make Believe is a terrifying experience. Men have been known to be recognized by their real name in a Patpong bar in the evening and be gone from Bangkok forever by morning. Not because they are still running from an arrest warrant back home, but because to be reminded of who you are, when you despise yourself, is horrifying. The man in the mirror must be Superman, never Clark Kent, because Clark Kent wears glasses and is shy around girls and disappoints people and bullies laugh at him. Everybody loves Superman, even Clark Kent loves Superman. Clark Kent hates Clark Kent.

Happiness can only come with thinking of yourself as The Nickname, thus it is crucial to establish The Nickname in the mind of any new friend the moment you meet. It is essential that nobody ever questions that The Nickname is who you truly are. Practicing in front of a mirror helps. Extend the right hand, smile warmly, and say, “Hiya, Mate. Folks ‘round here call me Bloody Hell.” Put both hands up in front of you, palms out in a gesture of surrender, roll your eyes heavenward, and say, “Don’t ask!” Then laugh jovially and ask your new friend, “So where you come from, Mate?” Keep asking questions about him, because until you know who he is and where he’s from and what he does, you can’t know who you can safely be and where you can safely come from and what you can safely do for a living.

Every vacation destination has its dangers, and the Kingdom of Make Believe is no exception. The most common danger encountered by visitors to the Kingdom is an embarrassment of riches: it is so much fun to become new people that some men cannot stop. They read an exciting spy novel and the next day they’re a former CIA officer. They see an old Western movie and the next morning they wake up missing the 1,000-acre ranch they used to operate in Wyoming. They hear an old Dire Straits song that was popular when they were young and by that evening they’re a classically trained guitarist. All this may sound like enormous fun, but the problem is that even in a Kingdom full of strangers a man is bound to gather a small circle of acquaintances who hear him talk about himself on more than one occasion. It is inevitable that somebody will begin to question why the decorated war hero who has been variously a New York City taxi driver and a modeling agent in Los Angeles and Meryl Streep’s acupuncturist and also once escaped from a Columbian jail now needs help figuring out the bus schedule for a visa run to Penang.

As in all things, where it concerns shedding the despised old worm that you were back home to emerge from your chrysalis a beautiful and beloved butterfly in the Kingdom, moderation is key. The most successful replicants never really talk about themselves. They simply go about their day, commenting on the weather or the price of beer, and let others establish their identity for them. “I heard he works for the American Drug Enforcement Agency,” or “I know for a fact his son is the drummer for Aerosmith.” These men are the Kings of The Kingdom of Make Believe.

A Kingdom whose borders are myth can have an infinite number of monarchs. There is still room in the Kingdom for plenty more Kings of Make Believe. We all need a vacation from ourselves now and then. When people ask, I tell them I never knew my father. It’s a lie, but not a symptom of psychosis. If I ever start believing the lie, or if I ever get mad at anybody who sees through the lie, I hope I’ll have sense enough left to seek professional help. Because the imagination is a nice place to visit, but you’d be crazy to want to live there.

The author can be contacted at: shavethemonkeys@gmail.com

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If you enjoyed this you can easily purchase Steve Rosse's book 'Thai Vignettes' online here at Bangkok Books.com: http://www.bangkokbooks.com/php/product/product.php?product_id=000025&sub_cate_name=&sub_cate_id=

Most books published by Bangkok Book House are available at Asia Books, Bookazine, B2S, Kinokuniya, Suriwong Chiang Mai, DK Chiang Mai, Pattaya, Lampang; all airports, many hotel outlets, supermarkets (Villa, Friendship Pattaya), The Books (Phuket, Krabi), Singapore including airport, Hong Kong airport and many smaller independent outlets throughout Thailand (www.bangkokbooks.com).

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Comments / Feedback

Rex
February 15, 2010, 15:11

"This place is called The Kingdom of Make Believe."

Some of us refer to it as LLL or Lalaland and the ones with the nicknames as the "inmates".
Nevertheless real names are a bit dangerous, more suitable for those who have nothing to hide. Since it's indeed a rare bird who can state that so one can conclude that those with real names are a bit naive. Or revel in their 15 minutes of fame for you can't really claim fame under a moniker. Having said all that in your piece you must admit there are many Walter Mitties out there away from LLL.
I disagree with you, I think it's a phychosis but not necessarily harmful to the public.
Even those who use their real names embellish at times. It's called putting yourself into a more favourable light. Such as a woman who applies makeup before a date. I always prefer to see her without all that when the real beauty shines through. Hopefully.

materialsman
February 16, 2010, 10:43

Ouch! A paper cut slicing me straight to the bone! Great stuff Steve, there's nothing as much fun in the Kingdom as being sat in a Bar minding your own business just drinking in the other Walter Mitty's conversations is there?

Materialsman (nickname)

Paddi
February 17, 2010, 05:35

Ah yes, the fine art of giving yourself a nickname, or in the absence of having one, friends that will help out and give you one anyway, wanted or not..heh heh...

This would appear to be a lad thing with lasses usually just sticking with proper names. It starts young with family members, mates, lasses, school teachers, etc, and never really shows signs abating throughout one’s lifetime. Everyone is fair game. I know individuals whose nickname is the only name they/or their friends, use, so long have they had the moniker.

What I’ve noticed with forum names is that when you meet the mutts face-to-face, real names are used quite normally – and why not? The forum is what it is....that is unless the ‘Lalaland Effect’ on the individual is in the terminal stages.
There are of course exceptions. A tall and follically challenged Australian chap of my acquaintance will insist on calling me by my (old) forum moniker. No worries though as the aforementioned is clearly suffering from that most debilitating illness, £10 Pom Syndrome.

Paddi (nickname nicked from his father’s nickname who nicked it from his father.)

steve rosse
February 17, 2010, 12:26

"This would appear to be a lad thing"
Yes, I agree. I think that, like the old axiom states, "Men Do, Women Be." Women take their ego identities from who they are, and so their name has sort of a sacred quality as it represents who they are. But men live under constant pressure to be successful, to be strong, to be rich, to be verile. We must DO to be men. "Steve" certainly does not convey action or success or strength. Simply adding a place name, like "Bangkok Steve," a name used by a punk rocker in the 80's, magically conveys romance, worldliness, and independence. I've never yielded to the impulse to re-label myself, but because people commonly mispronounce my surname, I usually go by both names. Since infancy I've had to correct people often when they say "Ross-eee", so my family name has come to be an important part of my ego identity. At work people call me "Steve Rosse," even though no other Steves work there. There is another Steve Rosse all over the Web, he's the world's most famous tuba player. I've always wanted to meet him. He's an American, born in California, as I was, within a couple years of my birth. I feel an odd connection to him, like I have a Doppleganger.

Novomundo
August 19, 2011, 05:23

"No one in the Thai-Farang writing arena has written more seriously more times about serious subjects than myself."
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Please! Don't you ever get tired of telling everyone how good and unique you are? There are half a dozen writers about Thailand that are more serious, and better writers, than you've even been. You'd know as much if just for once you got off your Dana Dana Dana high horse.

Dana
August 20, 2011, 22:05

"Please! Don't you ever get tired of telling everyone how good and unique you are? There are half a dozen writers about Thailand that are more serious, and better writers, than you've even been. You'd know as much if just for once you got off your Dana Dana Dana high horse."
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We are all waiting for names. We have been waiting for names for years. And no, I do not get tired of promoting myself. What I do get tired of is non-readers expressing opinions about writers and writing. If I use a flashback in a story I get an email telling me the reader got 'confused'. Writing seriously in the Thai-farang market is mostly about pissing into the wind. You just get it all over you.

I have read the Thai literature written by Thais that has been recommended to me, and I have read most of the bookstore shelf western writers writing about Thailand, etc. In addition I have read all available writing starting in the 19th century about Thailand. The Boston Public Library brings in book requests for me from all 48 states.

In almost all cases, boring. Stultifying and baking hot boring. I can think of only one contemporary western writer on the Thai scene who I would respect as a standard setter if I was writing a novel. Write better than I write? No, they do not write more skillfully than I write. I would love to read someone who would challenge me on the Thai-farang literary scene. T.C. Boyle could do it but he does not write about Thailand. Annie Proulx could do it but she does not write about Thailand. There are many excellent writers in the world, but not in the Thai-farang scene. There isn't any reason for this, it just is what it is.

Novomundo
August 21, 2011, 06:44

We are all waiting for names. Dana's words.

You want names, you'll get names, and the rationale.

1. Steve Rosse. Far better writer than you. Cleaner, far less pretentious, doesn't repeat himself endlessly, doesn't use the same old tics a thousand times, tells us something new we didn't know about Thailand, is honest, doesn't honk his own horn all day long. And, oh yeah, not a small matter--he's published. Are you?

2. How about your good friend Korski. Read what I've written about Steve Rosse. Ditto for Korski. And he tells us more about Thailand and other countries in Southeast in ten pieces than you've told us in a 100, and this is no exaggeration. You're not even in his ballpark, intellectually or in writing skills. And I think he's published too, and not with fly-by-night publishers. Incidentally, if you're so good, you should not only have publishers knocking down your door to get to what you have to write, but they should also be offering you very nice advances. What have you gotten along these lines? Absolutely nothing. Trumpeting one's ego is cheap, producing real copy that makes people sit back in admiration is a whole 'nother matter. Don't confuse a few interesting tics you have with good writing.

3. Even Stick with his weekly pieces has told us more about Thailand in a month or two than you've told anyone in your writing in five or six years. I have the sense, and I know that it is shared by many others, that the only person who thinks you're as great as you are is--Dana. Let's see: how many times have you told us the Fa story? Or slight variations on the boring Fa story 150? 200 times?

As for using Ann Proulx as a role model, I think that if you'd read any of her recent stuff, you need a very serious reality check and another role model. Fact is her recent stuff suffers quite noticeably from an ego problem, the same one you've got. But then you've always had a problem of confusing the enormous size of your ego (shouted about in just about every piece you've written) with an equally enormous output of twaddle that virtually no one pays any attention to, and for very good reason.

Before I forgot, I hope you can make a distinction between getting very and noun agreement, and the spelling always right--these you're very good at--and good writing. No correlation whatsoever, and if you don't believe me go read one of the great novels of the twentieth century--Dreiser on Chicago. Dreiser couldn't write Chicago without misspelling it.

For openers, I would recommend that you take some meds to cut your ego by about 95%, and then find a way to tell us something we didn't know about Thailand, and to give us some short stories with some real punch and real character development, and not the same old Beach Road clatter with Fa. Or another trip down Dana Road--Dana, Dana, Dana and nothing more. But of course if you could do either you wouldn't be on this site or any other Thai sites--you'd be publishing in the Atlantic and The New Yorker and getting upwards of ten or fifteen thousand per piece. Or more.

-----------------------

Okay, as I said in another comment on dictater's story I am letting some of these comments through, even though they are what I consider personal attacks on the writer, rather than a critique on the writing itself. I want to give the writers and readers a chance to respond themselves to these, and a chance to discuss what comments should be allowed. Is this good to have on the site? Harmful to the site and to gaining writers for the site if allowed through to be seen publicly?

Please discuss and comment. Thanks.

-Mike

Steve Rosse
August 21, 2011, 21:59

"Don't you ever get tired of telling everyone how good and unique you are?" Ah, but does the fish ever get weary of swimming? Does the hunt tire the lion? Does a helium atom ever wish it could bond to an atom of neon? Am I ever fatigued by metaphors stretched too far? As it says in the first line of this essay, to thine own self be true, and Dana is faultlessly true to himself.

GoingPostal
August 22, 2011, 12:08

"Please discuss and comment. Thanks."

I don't see these comments as productive in any sense. As you mentioned, they're more of a personal attack than any type of constructive criticism. And I don't see anything in the writing (content/style) of the 'attack' that tells me Novomundo has the chops to critique anyone.

This isn't a writing contest. And I don't want a number one writer. I want to encourage a large variety of writers to produce so as my different moods hit, there is a selection of works from which to read.

And then there's always the possibility Novomundo is just a disgruntled writer who doesn't feel his work gets enough attention, so attacking those writers he feels most threatened by under another name substitutes for real improvement.

Endless possibilities. None of them good. The best thing this site has/had going for it is/was civility. Is the potential gain from an occasional nail on the head comment worth risking this?

There are many good writers whose writing I hate, and many poor writers who I enjoy reading. Novomundo's style of feedback is akin to a book burning.

Mike
August 22, 2011, 12:57

GP,

Your comments on this pretty much jibe with my own. Civil discussion, and even disagreement and critique are beneficial to the writers and the site. Personal attacks or mean spirited, childish attacks on the writers are not really welcome and add nothing to the site, comments or discussion of the writing and stories.

I do want though to see the discussion this might bring about, so will follow when I can the next few days here and add what I can to the topic as I can.

The thing is, there is a polite and civil way to do this. I've always thought a site like this needs civility if it is to survive and thrive.

Many of the points you bring up are spot on.

-Mike

Phil
August 22, 2011, 14:29

I think the attack by Novomundo is way too personal and has absolutely no benefit.Dana may not be everybody's cup of tea as a writer but he does have a unique style and has written some brilliant pieces.I would not publish this sort of comment.

Mike
August 22, 2011, 15:09

Well said, Phil. And I agree that Dana is unique and has many who love his stories, and also he has his detractors and those who do not like his stuff. I think it is the same for all of the authors here. Some love their stuff, some don't. Simple to just avoid the authors/stories you do not like.

-Mike

Novomundo
August 22, 2011, 15:51

I think the attack by Novomundo is way too personal and has absolutely no benefit.

I'm puzzled. Two writers here have made claims about writing. Dana claiming that he is simply the "best" and no one else is close. All I have done is challenge this claim, and ask for evidence, providing names of writers I think are better. I give the reasons. This, in no way, shape or form, is a personal attack.

steve rosse
August 22, 2011, 21:36

"This, in no way, shape or form, is a personal attack." I think this qualifies as a personal attack: "I would recommend that you take some meds to cut your ego by about 95%," Actually, I think any comment that contains the pronoun "you" has left the realm of objective art criticism.

Novomundo
August 23, 2011, 01:21

"This, in no way, shape or form, is a personal attack." I think this qualifies as a personal attack: "I would recommend that you take some meds to cut your ego by about 95%," Actually, I think any comment that contains the pronoun "you" has left the realm of objective art criticism.

I would think it would be much more helpful to everyone here if you would address the main point made: Is Dana simply the very best writer the world has ever seen, and if so, why. And if not, why not. And since I identified you as having a suite of traits that makes you a "superior" writer to Dan, I would think that you would be able to address my claims about you vis-a-viz Dana. Incidentally, there is no such thing as "objective art criticism." It has never existed, and it will never exist, whether we are talking about your work or that of Hemingway, or anyone. I, of course, remain open and eager to learn exactly what it is that makes Dana--in his mind--so superior to the rest of us in the writing arena.

Airmail
August 23, 2011, 04:17

"Actually, I think any comment that contains the pronoun "you" has left the realm of objective art criticism."
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I beg to differ. It doesn't matter whether you're direct or indirect as long as you get your massage in. Novomundo had a perfectly appropriate response to a comment by Dana which was full of "I". He also supplied the names Dana asked for.He gave reasons for his assessments. When a writer choooses to be arrogant in his replies it'll attract likewise responses. It's a classic case or chicken or egg. I've been "attacked" on these pages but I shrug them off. A truly confident writer which Dana purports to be wouldn't have to respond in an arrogant way. You let your work speak for itself. Korski for instance hardly ever justified his pieces in the comments. You write, you publish here and you sit back. Occasionaly you explain some misinterpretations. Never ever beat your drum. Bad form.

GoingPostal
August 23, 2011, 08:23

"I'm puzzled."

You're also being disingenuous. The alternative would be too insulting to state.

"Two writers here have made claims about writing. Dana claiming that he is simply the "best" and no one else is close."

A sign of maturity is not feeling the need to challenge every claim you disagree with.

A sign of intelligence is silently trying to understand why people make claims you disagree with.

A sign of community is in knowing people might agree or disagree, and it's okay either way.

A sign of compassion is supporting people making claims important to them, no matter how much you might not agree or understand, because YOU know it's important to them.

At the very least this is your opinion against his. Isn't it ironic two people can be so much alike insisting they're correct about quantifying the unquantifiable? Amusing. Especially since you took him literally about something he always knew was unquantifiable.

steve rosse
August 23, 2011, 20:13

"I would think it would be much more helpful to everyone here if you would address the main point made: Is Dana simply the very best writer the world has ever seen, and if so, why. And if not, why not."
----------------------------

I am flattered that you ask my opinion. But I've given my opinion on Dana's writing many, many times on this site over the past four years. I've actually not been shy about giving my opinion of almost all of the writing posted here.

I don't know who the best writer in the world might be. I know who I like. Currently I'm digging the **** out of Timothy Hallinan. He's written some detective novels set in modern Bangkok, and I think he gets the formula just right. Mr. Hallinan has restored my interest in the genre, an interest which had been crushed to a cinder under the weight of all the bad Bangkok novels being churned out these days.

I like a lot of what Dana writes. I think he can turn a phrase very neatly, and he's got a keen eye for detail. His bluster used to piss me off, but now I recognize it as the same bluster displayed by PJ O'Roarke or Hunter S. Thompson, whose writing I like, or Norman Mailer, whom I like not so much.

As for Steve Rosse the writer, sometimes I like his stuff and sometimes not. I go back every couple of years and read "Thai Vignettes" and every third story makes me cringe. But there's a story in "She Kept the Bar Between Them" that I hope my kids will show to their kids when they ask, "What was Grandpa like?" Whenever I think I'll never write again, that I've sucked all the juice out of my sno-cone and have nothing left to offer, I look at that story and think, "It's okay, cuz I wrote this."

Of course, I can't be objective about it.

Tim
August 23, 2011, 21:18

I've always found Dana to be amusing with his posturing and big noting of himself. It's a joke, a bit of chain pulling and not to be taken seriously. It's an act which gains him attention and notoriety. It's nothing to get upset about and he has written some good stories over the years.

Dana
August 23, 2011, 21:20

"Never ever beat your drum. Bad form."

Except when it is funny and fun and interesting and . . . oops, there I go again. This nonsense about equating character with silence is foolish. And popular. God forbid we are, like the British, teaching our children to squelch natural enthusiasms and swallow every natural sound or speech. Oops, there I go again. Having an unpopular opinion. I have a T-shirt that I sometimes wear around Boston that says:

My Name is Dana: I Know My Worth and I Am Worth Knowing.

The bright people respond to it and have fun with it. Another friend made. Most people though are just dead to fun. I also have T-shirts where I have had a photo of one of my Thai girlfriends blown up and laminated on the shirt. The bright people respond to these shirts and have fun with it. They infuriate most women. A woman can send away mail order for a T-shirt that has a handsome man movie star on it but if a man wears a shirt with a picture of a pretty girl he actually knew they are just wild with anger. This is my town and my country and my life and what I have to live with. My response? I'm made of steel now and I intend to have as much fun as I can. I'd love to chat some more but I have to go over the latest batch of applications to the Dana Fan Club. Oops, there I go again . . . just wanting to have fun.

Novomundo
August 23, 2011, 22:32

I'd love to chat some more but I have to go over the latest batch of applications to the Dana Fan Club. Oops, there I go again . . . just wanting to have fun.

Well, I couldn't agree more about having a little fun. And there's certainly nothing wrong with occasionally letting others know you think your stuff is quite okay. Everyone does it; well, not everyone. The problem lies in the repetition, the relentless unrelenting repetition. I am the greatest. I am the greatest. A little goes a long way. Just as with the nagging wife. A little we can all live with, I think. A lot and we begin to think that nagging preoccupies her, is a way of life, is just about all she can think about. And so it is with everything.

But there's another point. One doesn't have to tell the world, or anyone, that one is great. Or the best writer anywhere. If he's a good, or great, writer, others in sufficient numbers will come to recognize this fact. The smart man always lets others blow is trumpet.

There is, I suppose, at least one more point here worth mentioning. Claiming, insistently, that one is the best, suggests not only an inferiority complexity, but an insistent desire to tell everyone else that however good they think they are NO one matches up to me. No one, no one, no one, no one.... This is not humor. This is just plain tiresome, and one wants to say: Enough.

Paddi
August 23, 2011, 23:03

Novomundo “Steve Rosse. Far better writer than you”

I disagree; he’s neither better or worse, just a different flavour and the individual reader can take from it what they will. In the case of the two writers mentioned, each has qualities to bring to the table and sometimes they hit the bulls-eye and sometimes they hit the wire and the dart comes out. Nowt life threatening, that’s just how a lot of forum writing is – experimentation of sorts.

Novomundo “Ditto for Korski. And he tells us more about Thailand..”

I disagree; he tells us his version and not an absolute definitive LLL, and again the two writers are not comparable.

Novomundo “Even Stick with his weekly pieces has told us more about Thailand..”

I disagree; Stick is a businessman in LLL and is most certainly not a writer. His own description is ‘commentator’ and again the comparison really is quite risible. Observe the style of Stick’s weekly over the years and it’s clear that more than one author has been involved.

Novomundo “you need a very serious reality check”

I disagree; reality ceases when the Captain announces that we are about to land at LLL International.

Airmail
August 24, 2011, 10:26

"I disagree; he’s neither better or worse, just a different flavour"

Now I disagree. There is a way to qualify writers and writings. Otherwise there wouldn't be literary prizes. In fact if everything is just different flavour than you better only eat fast food as gourmet food is not "better". We compare anything and everything. There are people whose expertise makes them choose literary works above others. Not everyone can be rated here as equals but "different". People are not sheep and even sheep have various quality wools. We may not agree here who is a better writer but I know who is the worst... :-). Well there you are, some are better others are worse.

Three Wheeler
August 24, 2011, 18:07

(Edited some off topic stuff out. - Mike)

This is a thought provoking article and I agree with the author's analysis. This place is full of bull****ters of the worst kind and their pitiful antics undermine any lingering affection that one might still have for humanity. Best to stay home and drink yourself to death.

Fanta
August 24, 2011, 19:06

On Steve Rosse's recommendation I went ahead and purchased Timothy Hallinan's Queen of Patpong. I read it one night and went ahead and immediately ordered the previous two installments of the Poke Rafferty series. Thank you for the recommendation Steve.

As for Dana, he's the Muhammad Ali of the 'Thaicentric' short piece. Before I start reading I'm already chanting 'Dana! Dana! Dana!' Then he's off, ducking and weaving, weaving and shuffling, a feint here a telegraphed right hand there. Flies like a butterfly, stings like a bee. Is he the greatest? What a question!

Dana
August 24, 2011, 21:45

Attn: Mr. Novomundo

As chronicled OnAnotherWebsite.com in Thai Thoughts and Anecdotes--Part 300, Fa and I are getting married. You have automatically been sent an invitation (everyone is invited). Fa only accepts gold, and I can't wait to meet you.

Novomundo
August 25, 2011, 01:27

Now I disagree. There is a way to qualify writers and writings. Otherwise there wouldn't be literary prizes. In fact if everything is just different flavour than you better only eat fast food as gourmet food is not "better". We compare anything and everything. There are people whose expertise makes them choose literary works above others. Not everyone can be rated here as equals but "different". People are not sheep and even sheep have various quality wools. We may not agree here who is a better writer but I know who is the worst... :-). Well there you are, some are better others are worse.

Spot-on.

Steve Rosse
August 25, 2011, 10:45

@Fanta: I'm glad you enjoyed "Queen of Patpong." I'm reading my fourth Poke Rafferty novel now and sad that there are no more to read. Mr. Hallinan is a wonderful example that among all the posers and liars in The Kingdom of Make Believe there are still a few guys who walk the walk. He's writing about Bangkok without exaggeration and without, as far as I can see from Iowa, any glaring errors. (I do have little pangs of unease at how well his Thai characters speak English, and how well Poke speaks Thai after only a couple of years in the Kingdom, but I enjoy the books so much I forgive the author this probably necessary device.) Mr. Hallinan has an amazing sensitivity for Thailand and her people, a wickedly smart sense of humor, and a great instinct for pace and plot. And most astounding he's selling books about Bangkok, and lots of them, to people who have never and who will never set foot in the Kingdom. People who don't already have an interest in the place. Nobody else, not since the 1950s anyway, has been able to create such a broad mainstream interest in stories set in Thailand. I cannot praise his work enough.

sisterray
September 3, 2011, 16:06

Interesting thread. To put my satang in I'd say that there are writers who can write fiction set in Thailand - Burdett, Hallinan, Moore, Barrett et al. These guys craft stories with plot, characters and dialogue. And there are those that can write articles based around the condition of living in Thailand, such as the giants of this site. I would love to see Dana try is hand at fiction. I hear there is a novel in progress...

Steve Rosse
September 7, 2011, 04:36

I guess I should have included, "If a man has always wanted to be a woman, he can pretend to be that, too."

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In The Kingdom of Make Believe

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