Writing short stories that readers will remember even after they has turned the last page of the book is difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that short story writing is a craft that encompasses more than just putting together a short piece of fiction. In only a few thousand words, the story must give the reader an overarching sense of belonging to the world of a writer’s imagination. Occidental Adam, Oriental Eve by John Cadet, a collection of ten short stories about Thailand, does exactly that: it creates a bridge between two distinct cultures. Through this book, John Cadet brings together, in a careful choice of words, the East and West, creating a world that even today remains as valid as it was three decades ago when it was first published by Charles Browne Publications in 1981.
John Cadet has been living in Thailand since 1961 and, since then, he published well-received works of both short fiction and non-fiction. His other books include Ramakien: The Thai Epic (1971) – volume praised by critics as “one of the most perfect combinations of art and literature,” Venusberg Revisted (1987) – a second collection of short stories, and Monks, Mountains and Magic (1990) – Cadet’s collected journalism writings. For some years, he has been researching Buddhist literature and has been writing a book with the working title Vessantara: Thunderbolt into Lotus.
In Occidental Adam, Oriental Eve, John Cadet proves that he is a keen observer of the inner-workings of the expat and Thai societies. English 304 deals with the life of a university professor who teaches poetry, and his attempts at inspiring and understanding the Thai students. Back to Nature is by far the darkest short story in the entire collection: it presents a farang’s failures both as an artist and an art teacher. His final demise is truly unexpected: “Soon though he turned his head back and rested it wearily on the ground, looking into space again, down the endless, empty avenues between the stars.
Mr. Pandu’s Quarter Hour is not only an accurate description of the Thai office life but also Mr. Pandu’s survivalistic story, a solitary man for whom “friendship, confidences, any attempts at human contacts were things he had no time for and was quick to discourage.” The story brings to mind William Golding’s Pincher Martin, a novel that deals with the psychological and physical struggle of a drowning man. Tammy and George is the usual story of a failed relationship between a farang and a Thai bar girl. It is a scenario much repeated by many writers in more contemporary works of fiction.
Traveller’s Tale is about the need of people who’ve travelled the world to share their experiences and stories wherever they go: “I’ve got the most extraordinary things to tell about them now that I’m back but – damn it all! – I can’t find anyone who’ll listen.” The Brute, the Monster is a short story that, on the surface, deals with a woman’s dread of geckos, but beneath this lies a story of loneliness and, eventually, empowerment.
Occidental Adam, Oriental Eve presents the relationship between Michael Edwards, a Western man, and Miss Nongyaw, a Thai woman. It is, again, a much advertised situation in which the farang is a naïve and inexperienced man while the Thai girl is devious and has always got a plan she religiously follows. The carefree life of a wannabe artist living in Bangkok is dealt with in A Pair of Black Lace Panties: “…he pushed his hand into his pocket, feeling the softness, the smooth silky texture of the panties, wondering again at their flimsiness, their provocative insubstantiality.”
A Taste of Lotus presents a foreigner’s experience as a novice monk in a Thai temple, trying to make sense of his life and the world around him. The last short story in Occidental Adam, Oriental Eve is Spirit of the Place, an account of a traveler returning home from Asia at his father’s death.
A former editor of the Bangkok World newspaper, John Cadet has been living in Chiang Mai since 1975, where he taught literature at Payap University but now acts as an English language advisor for Chiang Mai University. He also taught at the Royal School at Chitrlada Palace in Bangkok and was a member of the Siam Society. Having spent most of his life in the Far East and Southeast Asia, John Cadet has become a keen observer of the peculiarities that make this part of world such an interesting place. His short stories prove just that!
Occidental Adam, Oriental Eve is available as an ebook here.
I’m so glad to see John Cadet’s two short-story collections mentioned here. These stories, published independently, really deserve to be read by a wider audience.
I picked them up in the early 1990s during my first visit to Thailand. Both books are now long out of print, but they still occupy a central place on my bookshelf. I’ve read a lot of expat fiction over the years, and most of the books come and go. However, I find myself re-reading Cadet’s stories over and over. I never get tired of the characters and situations. I wonder how autobiographical the characters really are? It seems the central character in “You Can Talk About It,” at least, is a variation of a real person, the OSS agent who founded the Bangkok Post.
The descriptions of expat life in Thailand in the 1970s and ‘80s are valuable, given that this country continues to change at such a rapid pace, while the tide of farang residents and visitors ebbs and flows.
If I make it back up to Chiang Mai, I’d love the opportunity to meet the author.
I had the great good fortune to track down John Cadet in Chiang Mai in 1993 and tell him how much his stories had affected me. I found them in the shelves of a low-rent guest house and spent an entire weekend reading them over and over. Amazing stuff. I also recommend “Bangkok Editor,” the autobiography of Alex MacDonald, that OSS spy who founded the Bangkok Post.
Steve, I’ll look out for “Bangkok Editor.” If I had the time, I’d head up to Chiang Mai and do exactly what you did (I don’t live in Thailand). I’m a published writer-translator myself, and although I do non-fiction I’m sure the re-reading of Mr. Cadet’s stories over the years have had an effect on me as well.
I’ve also enjoyed your work over the years. I recall the story of two young German tourists who stumble into a bar in Phuket on a rainy day. Great stuff.
I was pleased to read the complimentary reviews of John Cadet’s book. I encountered them in 1988 and, as a quasi old Asia hand, and a writer who has used Thailand as a background, I found John’s stories to be true and incisive. I also re-visit them regularly. I managed to arrange for one of John’s stories to be published in Australia during the 1990’s when there was a vigorous revival of that art form. John, if you read this, and you are not totally consumed by the need to earn your daily rice, it would be good to hear from you. All the best. Roger Vickery (roger.vickery[at]tafensw.edu.au)
Hi Voicu, Glad to see yr still running this usefully informative information about my short stories. I’m now selling these stories through BooksMango in Bangkok, and intend to add at least two novellas, three novels and that monster study (240,000 words) I may have mentioned previously – Vessantara: Thunderbolt into Lotus (working title) – in the near future. Oh, yes ! Not forgetting The Ramakien, the Thai Epic – (“A work no major library should be without”…Library Journal) that sold worldwide in four editions.
The last time we corresponded, there was talk of an interview with you, which I then said I’d be glad to do later. Perhaps we could come back to that in a few months, when I’ve added a couple of the above items to BooksMango’s list of available publications – and I’ve at long last got myself a website. (I tend to excuse my my deplorable Internet illiteracy to the fact that I belong to the pre-TV generation).
Hoping to be back with you shortly.
Regards, John Cadet