Dateline:
Bangkok (17 July 2007)
Described
by Mananya as a cross between Little House on the Prairie
and Luuk Isan, Wall Against the Wind is
a true story of childhood and adolescence of a young Isan
girl.
Written
in novelistic style, Jampee Tawylert—a remarkable and rare
Thai female author with little formal education—details
her own life growing up in a Thai rural village in the 1970s,
a time when trucks and concrete roads were rare and people
still walked along the oxcart trails between villages and
rice fields.
Told
through the voice of Lamphai, Wall against the Wind
is a story of a young girl learning the hard lessons of
life inside a traditional rural family. This heartfelt narrative
is a window into understanding a Thai mother-daughter relationship
and how the young daughter drew strengths from her mother,
who was like a wall that shielded her against the natural
wind of pain and suffering until she learned how to be brave
and strong enough to survive on her own.
The
author has a keen eye for details and understanding of ancient
customs, cultures, traditions, and superstitions in the
way of living from birth to death. The story will not only
introduce readers to an intelligent and observant young
Thai village girl, but will also bring them back to the
beautiful and less complicated past of Thailand that many
Thais have forgotten.
The
book was originally published in Thai by Heaven Lake Press
in 2001 under the title Mai Kan Lom [Wall Against
the Wind].
Author’s
background
Jampee
Tawylert was brought up in the village of Baan Mai, some
53 kilometres North of Nakorn Ratchasima. She attended the
village school but left at the age of 12 to work on the
land and help support her family.
This
is a common enough experience in up country Thailand and
the transformation of this farm girl to author and painter
is a testament to her discipline, persistence and creative
talent. She spent four years writing this memoir. She now
divides her time between London and Bangkok devoting her
time to the completion of her second book and her painting.
Further information
If
you would like to arrange an interview with Jampee Tawylert
or would like to request author’s photo, review copy, or
additional information, please contact the Heaven Lake Press
Editorial Department:
Email:
editorial@heavenlakepress.com
Fax: +66(0)-2260-4578
Telephone: +66(0)-2258-2543 Ext. 101.
Availability
of the book
Wall
Against The Wind is available at all leading bookstores
in Thailand and at airport book shops. For readers living
outside of Thailand, copies may be ordered from our web
site: www.heavenlakepress.com.
