Summary
A passionate, affectionate record of adventures and misadventures in the world’s hottest metropolis.
Tourists come to Bangkok for many reasons—a night of love, a stay in a luxury hotel, or simply to disappear for a while. Lawrence Osborne comes for the cheap dentistry, and then stays when he finds he can live off just a few dollars a day.
Osborne’s Bangkok is a vibrant, instinctual city full of contradictions. He wanders the streets, dining on insects, trawling through forgott…
Book Details
| ISBN-13: | 9780099535973 |
|---|---|
| ISBN-10: | 0099535971 |
| Author: | Lawrence Osborne |
| Publisher: | Vintage Publishing |
| Imprint: | Vintage |
| Format: | Paperback |
| Number of Pages: | 288 |
| Release Date: | 3 May 2010 |
| Weight: | 257g |
| Dimensions: | 199mm x 129mm x 21mm |
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Critics Review
Thailand inspires such enthralled romanticism that it also invites great cynicism and it is a feat to acknowledge all its complexities and graces, as Osborne does, without ever quite surrendering to them – Pico Iyer * Los Angeles Times *He is a first-rate observer and analyst… Any Westerner curious to take a decadent Oriental trip with a writer you can trust to keep you turning the pages should pick up a copy * New York Times *He vividly sketches the characters he meets: a man with a degree in air-conditioning, one with an air of “upper-class twittery”… Osborne’s travelogue is, however, memorably touching – Anita Sethi * Independent on Sunday *With a brief stint as a gigolo, insights into the Buddhist interpretation of transgender ‘kathoeys’, and several friendships with various wayward desolates, Osborne maintains a lively note to proceedings throughout… this book has an underlying sense of warmth and genuine fondness for its subject matter * Real Travel Magazine *He uses language with great skill, and the sounds and smells of Bangkok are wonderfully evoked. Osborne’s writing conveys a geniune love for the city * Library Journal *Nicely observed – William Leith * Scotsman *An enlightening tour of the twilight world of exile * Traveller *Osborne paints an evocative portrait of the Thai capital – Sara Wheeler * The Lady *One of the best travel books I have read for a long time, as books always are when written from the inside, by someone who has not just visited a city but lives in it at what you might call “street level”… Not the Bangkok the cheap-flight brigade will ever see – Susan Hill * The Lady *Osborne is an accomplished travel writer… Osborne creates a city of beauty in its own right, and it is one in constant conflict of identity * Eats.com *
About The Author
Lawrence Osborne
Lawrence Osborne is a critically acclaimed novelist, journalist, and screenwriter based in Bangkok. He is the author of eight novels, including Ballad of a Small Player, Beautiful Animals, and The Forgiven. His non-fiction ranges from memoir through travelogue to essays, including Bangkok Days, The Naked Tourist, and The Wet and the Dry.
His novels have been chosen as Books of the Year by numerous publications, including The Guardian, The Observer, The Daily Telegraph, The New Statesman, The Daily Mail, The Economist, The New Yorker, and The New York Times.
The Forgiven was adapted into a film in 2022, starring Jessica Chastain and Ralph Fiennes. Ballad of a Small Player, starring Colin Farrell and Tilda Swinton, was released on Netflix in 2025.
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