Book
'The Dream Stuffer' by Nikom Rayawa (2007).
"It was foggy that morning. Majdane held her basket in one hand and helped the boy down the steps with the other. The stuffed child was bursting with life. They climbed the hill through the damp grass and entered the cool mist. A rainbow shone before them as the sun began to warm the air." This beautiful novel is closely linked to the Siam that became Thailand, whose nature we are proud to restore. But there, not everything is ‘luxury, calm and pleasure’... Thanks to the simplicity of his style, Nikom Rayawa gives his story remarkable authenticity, between violence and tenderness, which demystifies a particularly popular tourist destination.
Music
French composer and conductor Laurent Couson is no stranger to working with Claude Lelouch. Based in Thailand, he has been conducting the South Asia Symphonic Orchestra and the Bangkok Chamber Orchestra of Thailand since 2015. He brought together no fewer than 65 Thai musicians to create this symphony orchestra, with which he has recorded several albums.
Film
Adapted from Alex Garland's book by Danny Boyle, ‘The Beach’ stars Leonardo Di Caprio, Guillaume Canet and Virginie Ledoyen as three young backpackers in search of an idyllic beach in an isolated archipelago in Thailand. They find themselves in a New Age community cut off from the world and, for a while, believe they have arrived in a paradise for hippies. Unfortunately, their integration is not without its problems, and this self-sufficient village quickly reveals its limitations, exposing a rigid organisation that leads to heightened violence.
