Bangkok Post

BOOK YOUR PLACE

Neilson Hays Library celebrates its 150th anniversar­y with Bangkok’s first literature festival

- STORY: TATAT BUNNAG

Celebrated local and internatio­nal authors will be in Bangkok for a series of talks, panel discussion­s and poetry readings as part of the Neilson Hays Bangkok Literature Festival, held to mark the 150th anniversar­y of Neilson Hays Library on Nov 16 and 17.

Bookworms, bibliophil­es and anyone else who’s interested are all invited to rub shoulders with their favourite fiction and non-fiction writers as the historic library on Surawong Road, in collaborat­ion with the Office of Contempora­ry Art and Culture (OCAC), stages Bangkok’s first literature festival. The two-day event will take place at the library and nearby British Club, with special evening events also being held at Chulalongk­orn University and Chakrabong­se Villas.

Nalin Vanasin, president of Neilson Hays Library, says the purpose of the festival isn’t just to mark the landmark anniversar­y, but also to celebrate the power of books and letters, which have been the library’s heritage from its beginning.

“The library has just gone through a major renovation. Instead of having a special book sale or holding a party like we normally do, we thought it would be a good time for Bangkok to have an internatio­nal literature festival of its own,” said Nalin. “We hope to create a stage for participat­ing literary luminaries to exchange knowledge and share their experience­s, as well as showcase Thai creative arts for an internatio­nal audience.”

Over the two days of the festival, Neilsons Hays Library will be transforme­d into a book lover’s dream. Over 30 of the world’s finest writers, from eight countries, will be in attendance to help spread the joys of the written word.

Under the theme “Bridging The World Through Letters”, the festival aims to ignite imaginatio­ns, spark debate and share views on various topics from politics and social inequality to gender equality and LGBTI rights.

Among the esteemed guests will be the Pulitzer Prize-winning US author Adam Johnson, best known for his novel The

Orphan Master’s Son, and Australian writer Melissa Lucashenko, winner of this year’s Miles Franklin Award, the country’s most prestigiou­s literary prize.

From Asia, there will be P. Sivakami, a prominent feminist Dalit writer from India; Chinese-American Qiu Xiaolong, author of the award-winning crime mystery Death

Of A Red Heroine; Thailand’s Veeraporn Nitiprapha, a 2018 SEA Write winner for

The Blind Earthworm In The Labyrinth; and Japan’s Kanako Nishi, whose novel Saraba! won the prestigiou­s Naoki Prize.

Alongside the programme of debates, interviews and workshops, the festival will feature entertainm­ent activities for families and young readers, such as an arts and crafts market and workshops.

“Kids will be happy to meet our special guest Mike Curato, the award-winning author and illustrato­r of the Little Elliot series,” said Nalin. “At the festival, he’ll be sharing the story of how he got the idea for his famous elephant character, as well as doing live drawings for the children.”

There will be film screenings at the library on both evenings by the Documentar­y Club. The first is Starless Dreams, an Iranian documentar­y by Mehrdad Oskouei about a rehabilita­tion centre for girls, and Hope Frozen, the first full-length documentar­y by Thai-American director Pailin Wedel, about a two-year-old girl who became the youngest person in the world to be cryopreser­ved.

On books, Nalin believes they are still relevant and that people will always read them, whether they be physical or electronic. According to statistics from 2018 by the National Statistica­l Office, Thais spent an average of 80 minutes per day reading.

“We can see that the role and importance of reading and writing has not diminished at all in the past 150 years,” she said. “The exchange of ideas and opinions are even more relevant for Thai society today. People read for different reasons, some for knowledge, others to escape, others, still, to empathise. The festival hopes to connect curious minds with inspiring literary voices to ignite imaginatio­ns and foster connection­s.”

Originally founded in 1869 as the Bangkok Ladies’ Library Associatio­n, the Neilson Hays Library is the oldest English-language, non-profit library in Thailand. In 1922, it moved to its present neoclassic­al building, designed by Italian architect Mario Tamagno. The library is home to more than 20,000 books, one of the largest collection­s of English-language titles in Bangkok.

THE IMPORTANCE OF READING AND WRITING HAS NOT DIMINISHED AT ALL. THEY ARE EVEN MORE RELEVANT FOR THAI SOCIETY TODAY

 ??  ??
 ??  ??
 ??  ?? Qiu Xiaolong.
Mike Curato.
Qiu Xiaolong. Mike Curato.
 ??  ?? Nalin Vanasin, president of Neilson Hays Library.
Nalin Vanasin, president of Neilson Hays Library.
 ??  ?? Veeraporn Nitiprapha.
Veeraporn Nitiprapha.
 ??  ?? Adam Johnson.
Adam Johnson.
 ??  ?? Kanako Nishi.
Kanako Nishi.
 ??  ?? Pailin
Wedel.
Pailin Wedel.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from Thailand