Eclectic crime fiction & informed, irreverent non-fiction from Asia & beyond
Name: Tom VaterNationality: German, Asia-basedOccupation: Writer, editorCurrent publication: Tom Vater’s new book SHARKMAN, is out now. Order on Amazon.Recommendations: Where to even start …Two pieces of music that affected me – Exile on Main Street by the Rolling Stones and Bitches Brew by Miles Davis.Two books that affected me – Youth by Joseph Conrad and […]
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My latest story in Nikkei Asia is an interview with Mai Nardone, author of Welcome Me to the Kingdom, a most excellent literary fiction collection of touching and brutal short stories on life in Thailand: Western readers are likely to be surprised by the chasm between the well-established Thai stereotypes of beach holidays, spicy food […]
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Charles Sobhraj (born 6 April 1944), also known as the Bikini Killer, is a French thief, fraudster and serial killer. He preyed on Western tourists throughout Southeast Asia during the 1970s. He was nicknamed The Splitting Killer and The Serpent. Sobhraj allegedly committed at least a dozen murders. He was convicted and jailed in India […]
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My latest story in Nikkei Asia. I interviewed Thai film director Pailin Wedel about her Netflix doc, The Trapped 13, which features interviews with the teenage survivors of the 2018 Tham Luang cave drama in northern Thailand. “This is a true story of hope and about how hope and faith paid off. It’s about radical […]
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I interviewed the fantabulous pop star Hugo for Roadbook the other day… Hugo Chakrabongse Levy is a warm, otherworldly, and handsome presence – a man of bell-bottom trousers, ornate shirts, wide-brimmed hats, and hand-rolled orange-flavoured cigarettes. He’s also a rock star. Born in the UK, Hugo, as he’s known, attended school in London until he […]
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DPA correspondent Carola Frentzen interviewed Ajarn Neng On Nut and myself for her feature on Sak Yant, Thailand’s spirit tattoos, out in Der Tagesspiegel. Read the full story here. Buy the first English language book on sak yant, beautifully photographed by Aroon Thaewchatturat, the best-selling Sacred Skin here. Check out the new Sacred Skin website.
Continue ReadingI recently interviewed Bhanu Inkawat, a Bangkok entrepreneur who founded Greyhound, a fashion and restaurant chain that revolutionized advertising and branding in Thailand and then conquered the world. “I grew up in Bangkok, around Petchaburi and Sukhumvit Road. My father owned a petrol station. My mother is from Chinatown. She studied literature at Chulalongkorn University, […]
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My latest story in Nikkei Asia is a close look at Very Bangkok, Philip Cornwel-Smith‘s seminal ode to Thailand’s capital. In 2019, Bangkok was the most-visited city in the world, known for its temples, canals, palaces, local communities, street food, shopping, nightlife and freewheeling, relaxed ambience. That ambience has been somewhat tarnished in recent years, […]
Continue ReadingBangkokian Tachamapan Chanchamrassang ran away to London in her 20s to become a visual artist. The UK capital became the training ground for the now 40-year old artist and laid the foundation for a triumphant return to her home town where she is now an in-demand designer of eclectic home furnishings, known as Pomme Chan. […]
Continue ReadingNarisa Chakrabongse, hotelier, publisher, environmental activist has long been at the heart of Bangkok’s cultural life. Born in the UK, the 64 year old granddaughter of Prince Chakrabongse Bhuvanath, a son of King Rama V, recently founded the Bangkok Edge Festival and shows no signs of slowing down. “I’m a quarter Thai, a quarter Russian, […]
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