The King of Bangkok
Claudio Sopranzetti author Sara Fabbri author Chiara Natalucci author
Format:Hardback
Publisher:University of Toronto Press
Published:15th Nov '21
Should be back in stock very soon
The English translation of this bestselling graphic novel tells the story of Nok, an old blind man who sells lottery tickets in Bangkok, as he decides to leave the city and return to his native village.Through reflections on contemporary Bangkok and flashbacks to his past, Nok reconstructs a journey through the slums of migrant workers, the rice fields of Isaan, the tourist villages of Ko Pha Ngan, and the Red Shirt protests of 2010.
Based on a decade of anthropological research, The King of Bangkok is a story of migration to the city, distant families in the countryside, economic development eroding the land, and violent political protest. Ultimately, it is a story about contemporary Thailand and how the waves of history lift, engulf, and crash against ordinary people.
"The artwork is at least as important as text. Sara Fabbri’s colored line drawings give the tale an urgency that words themselves cannot convey."
-- Peter Gordon * Asian Review of Books *"Shades of hope and humor glimmer amid the forces of inequity and impunity depicted in this memorable book that homes in on the rich lives of ordinary people, those who the country's rulers are meant to serve."
-- David Hopkins * Nikkei Asia *"This book is a triumph."
-- Chris Baker * Bangkok Post *“Well informed and captivating. Much more than a didactic good-versus-evil tale, The King of Bangkok does justice to the complex people who animate a country that many of us would do well to know better.” -- Rosalie Metro, University of Missouri-Columbia * Los Angeles Review of Books
- Winner of 2022 PROSE Award awarded by the American Association of Publishers 2022 (United States)
- Winner of Best Read for the General Public Accolade in the IBP 2023 for Social Sciences Awarded by International Convention of Asia Scholars 2024 (Netherlands)
- Winner of 2024 Kate Browne Creativity in Research Award Awarded by Society for Economic Anthropology 2024 (United States)
- Runner-up for Foreword INDIES 2021 Bronze Medal for Graphic Novels & Comics 2022 (United States)
ISBN: 9781487508869
Dimensions: 253mm x 178mm x 24mm
Weight: 750g
296 pages