Max Ediger has been present in Southeast Asia for many decades now where he has worked with many slum communities in the region. He is the author of Friendship of Gold, a novel set in the slums of Bangkok. He is now based in Phnom Penh, but travel regularly to Viet Nam. In this interview he talks about his books, the writing process, eBooks, the future of publishing and life in today’s Viet Nam.
“I have no gold now, I consider myself one of the richest persons in the world.”
Voicu Mihnea Simandan: Friendship of Gold is one of your most powerful books. When did you write it?
Max Ediger: I started writing the book around 1998 or so. This was my first novel so I was not very confident that I could do it. The story had been in my mind for many years already but I never had the nerve to actually start writing. I think it is true that the first sentence of a book is the most difficult. Once I wrote that first sentence though, the story seemed to unfold. It took me more than two years to write it. I’m not a disciplined writer who can sit down and write a set number of pages each day. I needed to wait for the right inspiration to keep the story flowing, so I would write for some days and then let the story evolve in my mind before continuing.
Much of the story is based on experiences with slum communities in Bangkok, so I needed time to reflect back and relive some of those experiences so I could make them come alive in the book. Actually writing the book was good therapy for me. It helped me bring back to consciousness so many events and people and to once again recognize how important they have been to my life and spiritual growth. That is why I used the title Friendships of Gold.
I do believe friendships are more important than gold and even though I have no gold now, I consider myself one of the richest persons in the world because of all the great friendships I have been able to experience over the years. Friends in Thailand have been extremely supportive and loyal. They have taught me what true friendship means so I dedicated this book to them. I hope many Thai people will read it and realize what a tremendous contribution that have made to my life.
VMS: To what extent has your background as a social worker influenced you in crafting the story?
ME: I could never write a book like this without experiencing the life of people struggling for their rights and their dignity. I used to think that I needed to be the “voice of the voiceless,” but then I realized that the marginalized are not voiceless. Instead, much of society simply will not hear them. So I wanted to write a book that would allow them to raise their own voices. I hope this book isn’t just speaking for the marginalized, but rather is their voice coming out through the pages. Without these experiences, I would not have anything to write. The people become my inspiration and I just want to allow them to fill the pages of the book while I do the typing.
“Love is a quiet flow of energy.”
VMS: Love and acceptance, the two main themes you wrote about in Friendship of Gold, have a different meaning and significance from person to person. What does love mean to you?
ME: Love is a quiet flow of energy. It doesn’t advertise itself nor is it proud of itself. Love simply cares for others, even if sometimes the others are not so loveable. Love sees something good and hopeful and strives to emphasize those good and hopeful things in our lives. In my book, the people love Tony, not because he is loveable, but because they sense his inner struggle for peace even though he doesn’t tell them his story or even respond positively to them. Love can sense when silence or a gentle pat on the back, or special bowl of noodles is needed. Love is people striving to live together and working for a better community.
VMS: And acceptance? Should poor people just accept their karma?
ME: I think the point I want to also make in this book is that people do not have to just accept what happens. We all have power of some kind and we can use that power in a positive way to bring about good change. The poor are often told that they are poor because of their previous life or because they are just lazy. This is a way to make them passive. Awakening them to their rights and to their own ability to bring about change is important. We do inherit the life we are born into, but we can also change it if we like. It isn’t easy and our struggles are not always successful, but we grow stronger by trying. In the book, acceptance is more about people accepting each other despite differences and learning that each of us has something positive to contribute to building a better and more just society.
“Almost all of my writing has evolved from my experiences with people in struggle for their rights.”
VMS: You have also written non-fiction, poetry and books for children. How has your experience as a globetrotting volunteer influenced your writing?
ME: My writing has grown out of my experiences. Sometimes I have been greatly surprised by what I have written. For example, I never appreciated or even read poetry as a student. But while a social worker in Viet Nam during the war, I saw and experienced things that deeply troubled me, robbed me of sleep and nudged me toward deep anger and resentment. I didn’t know how to deal with those feeling or how I would be able to live with the images in my mind. One day I sat down and started writing about them. Strangely it all came out in a kind of poetry. When I read what I had written, I felt better. Seeing these images and feelings in verse form was a part of my healing so I continued to write poetry. Recently I haven’t written any poetry. I think that is because my experiences now are not as intense and troubling as the time spent in an area of war.
The children’s book also came as a big surprise. I have not had much contact with small children for many years so I really don’t know how they think, or what their worldview might be like. But the story was in my mind so one day I decided to give it a try. I wrote the story and shared it with some friends who teach primary school. They thought it was quite good so I continued to work on it and get it published.
Almost all of my writing has evolved from my experiences with people in struggle for their rights and for a peaceful community in which to raise their families. I doubt that I would have written anything if it were not for them and their willingness to share their stories and their lives with me. I have told some friends that I now have a PHD – People Helped me Develop. Living and working with the marginalized has been my most important university and I just hope my writings will honor them.
“I still prefer to have a paper book in my hands.”
VMS: Friendship of Gold was published as a paperback in Thailand but it is now available as an eBook too. In your opinion, how has the publishing world evolved in the past few years with the boom in e-publishing?
ME: I’m not much of an eBook fan. Only recently I finally got some eBooks to read while traveling. I still prefer to have a paper book in my hands so I can thumb through it quickly, mark pages, etc. I’ve learned to do the same with the eBooks I have now, but I still miss my paper books.
However, eBooks have made books more available to many people at prices they can more easily afford. This is definitely a positive. Unfortunately the marginalized generally do not have the electronic equipment to purchase and read eBooks so I hope one day paperback books will become much cheaper and thus available to them. They really need the opportunity to read. As you know, reading opens up whole new worlds for us and sparks creative thinking that can help change the world to a better place.
So, I would have to say that eBooks are definitely a positive thing, making reading more available to many people. I also am always surprised that when I travel I can be carrying five or six books with me in just one small Galaxy Pad. That means I can have both relaxing reading material with me as well as work-related materials without having to load myself down with a lot of extra weight. EBooks are a great invention.
“The experiences in Viet Nam, especially during the war, really transformed my life.”
VMS: You spend a lot of time in Vietnam, working with the needy. What is the situation there right now?
ME: While I do not live in Viet Nam at the moment, I travel there as often as I can. The experiences in Viet Nam, especially during the war, really transformed my life. As an American, it would be expected that people would be angry at me for what the American War brought to their country. But I have never been treated with anger. People, even during the war, always emphasized that it is important to see each person as an individual and not to generalize or create stereotypes. That has been a very inspiring lesson for me.
The people in Viet Nam are hard at work building up their economy and their infrastructure. Relics of the war are generally now only found in museums. But the legacy of the war continues to haunt them. Unexploded ordinance continues to kill and main people, especially farmers and children. And then there is Agent Orange which the US sprayed over the country for ten years. It not only killed trees and food plants, but also negatively affected the people. Many thousands of children have been born with horrible birth defects which make it impossible for many of them to live a comfortable life. Fourth generation children are now being born with these defects and it seems there will be no end and no cure. This is something dumped on the people during the war and which they will not overcome for many generations.
But Viet Nam is an extremely beautiful country with very friendly and hospitable people. I would urge others to visit the country, not just to experience the beauty and hospitality, but also to learn about the senselessness of war. We, as intelligent human beings can surely solve our differences through dialogue rather than through the destructive power of our weapons.
“Writing is good therapy and helps us learn more from our past experiences.”
VMS: What are your writing at the moment?
ME: At the moment I am only writing project proposals and reports. I hope to work on another novel or a collection of short stories soon but do not have a deadline.
One project I have worked on with my colleagues is a collection of stories about how marginalized people have used their own indigenous wisdom to stop oppression and build communities of peace. This has resulted in a book called Our Stories Our Challenges (2009). This book tells the true stories of the courage and skill of marginalized people to bring about change. I am hoping to do more of this kind of story collecting with my colleagues around Asia.
VMS: What are your plans for the future?
ME: My plans for the future are never clear. I tend to “go with the flow” rather than map out my life. This has opened up so many new experiences for me. I am now living in Cambodia and am very happy here. I find so many new things to learn and great people to meet and work with. At the same time, I travel a lot around Asia, meeting friends in our network, learning from them and encouraging them. I will probably continue doing this for as long as possible. As for writing, I think one day I’ll slow down and take some more time to do reflective writing. I don’t know if what I write will ever be published, but writing is good therapy and helps us learn more from our past experiences. Maybe someday the younger generation will read some of my writings and find some inspiration from them. That would be great.
VMS: Thank you for your time.
March 19, 2013
Voicu Mihnea Simandan
Bangkok, Thailand
Really cool interview! lots of interesting stuff here!