Cuba, a socialist country with breathtaking Spanish colonial architecture, exceptionally fine music and superior cigars, is finally getting the world’s attention it so deserves. Restored diplomacy with the US is putting the country among the top tourist destinations. Cuba was given a further boost when US President Barack Obama made a state visit in March and Karl Lagerfeld staged a fashion show in Havana earlier this month by turning the leafy Paseo del Prado boulevard into an extravagant catwalk. Not to be left behind, Thai hoteliers recently went to Havana to ink a deal to open a high-end complex.
Gassanee Thaisonthi.
Suddenly people want to know about this small communist island nation and savour its 50s culture — American pink Cadillacs and convertibles, nonchalant romantic comrades, just before capitalism will irrevocably change it, like it did with China and other cities around the world.
Published just in time is Cuba Dib Sar Leela Romantic (Cuba Wild Romance), a travel book by Gassanee Thaisonthi, in which the author visits Cuba’s famous sites and more — such as a large vintage book market in Havana and Hotel Capri that inspired Mario Puzo and Francis Ford Coppola to refer to it in the movie The Godfather.
The book also touches on the history of the country — Spanish colonisation, wars and of course, Fidel “El Jefe” Castro. Gassanee is not just an amateur writer. She has published numerous books, fiction, biographies and travel writing, not to mention translated books. Now 40, Gassanee once served as translator for the joint military drill Cobra Gold for seven consecutive years, and worked in a data security firm before quitting to pursue her writing career. Gassanee chats with Life about her reading list.
What book is on your bedside table now?
In Conversation With Fidel by Ignacio Ramonet. I like this exceptional lengthy book as it enables us to see and understand Castro’s thinking process and how his mind works. You will see El Jefe as a man with complex ideas, yet a systematic and subtle thought process. An extraordinary, simple man indeed.
What travel writing has influenced your work?
South Solo: Kayaking To Save The Albatross by Hayley Shepherd. Shepherd is a passionate adventurer and storyteller who manages to make her adventure lively. The book reads like a breath of fresh air, not serious. It does not inspire me to write travel stories per se, yet I live by a motto depicted in the book, which is “live your dreams”.
Name a book that makes you laugh or cry, or both?
Money Number One by Neil Hutchinson, an Australian expat living in Pattaya. It is a single man’s handbook but it is so funny. Yet, it is so sarcastic and ironic in the way Thai girls are perceived as syrupy sweet for foreigners, yet there are so many hidden agendas within.
What is your all-time favourite book(s)?
It is always Claude Gueux by Victor Hugo. Written in 1834, the story tells about a pauper who is put into prison because poverty leaves him no choice but to steal. In prison, he often goes hungry because the portions are too small. Yet, other inmates are nice and kind enough to share their food with Gueux. Food-sharing is the start of friendships among inmates.
Dead trees or e-books?
An e-book platform like Kindle is so convenient for travelling and I reap this benefit as I am on the road a lot. Yet, I will always love and never stop buying books. Even caressing the pages, from first to last, is pure joy in itself.
This source first appeared on Bangkok Post Lifestyle.