Paul Theroux Interview by Camilla Russell from Bangkok Post

When did you first come to Thailand?

I first came to Thailand 40 years ago in 1968, when Bangkok was a different city. Thailand was very much the same, but the city was different … there were more canals and it was very horizontal. So, of course, nowadays it’s a much more vertical city and denser, but just as vibrant. The first time I came here the Vietnam War was on, and Bangkok was full of US soldiers. So it was like an occupied city and was a city that was designed to accommodate foreign soldiers. It made me feel very uncomfortable. The soldiers were on leave from the war and they were raring to go … looking for activities like love, life and sex. They were looking for something. They weren’t going to museums and they weren’t going to temples. So over the years the Thai people accommodated this, but I’m sure that it wasn’t very easy. War is not just soldiers, it’s businesses, too. Companies selling shoes or electronic equipment or coke for the war effort, and Thailand was one of the first places they looked at. However, tourists’ expectations are different, of course.

What are your perceptions of Southeast Asia as a frequent visitor to the region?

Thailand is different from other places because it’s accommodating. Malaysia is not accommodating. Singapore is not accommodating, either. I lived there for three years, and I returned two years ago. Singaporeans tend to view the rest of the world as dangerous, disorderly and “non-Chinese”. Cambodia has had a traumatic history, so what reason do Cambodians have to trust anyone? The Vietnamese have a very positive attitude and look to the future. Each place is different. I first went to Burma in the ’60s and they’ve had the same kind of government since then, and people who feel oppressed by politics and economics. So if you talk about Southeast Asia, each place is different with different histories and experiences. Not to use cheap flattery, but I think that Thailand is the most accommodating, because Thais don’t feel threatened by foreigners and feel like equals. National pride is important, because it gives you self-esteem. Many countries have been colonised and they are conflicted.

What role do you play when visiting foreign countries?

I see myself as just a visitor. [In Thailand] I feel like an ignorant farang who is grateful for Thai hospitality. I’m very grateful because people are very polite, and because I’m just a stranger and a farang. It’s a very hospitable nation. If you go to a small village in the North, people will welcome you into their homes, and that’s different to other countries. Some places are very difficult to travel in. Africa is very difficult, because it has no infrastructure and the roads are bad in general. India is not easy either. Yes, one thinks that Mumbai is a fast growing economy, but 400 million people live on $1 [30 baht] a day. So as people talk about the Indian miracle, people must realise that there are two faces to the country. But if you talk about the differences in what makes travel difficult, look at America. Travel in America is accessible, but meeting people is not always easy. Say that you’re in India, and stop in someone’s hut and talk to them . They’ll give you a cup of tea and answer all your questions. However, if you go to a poor black part of Virginia you may receive hostility and be asked why you are asking them questions. It’s easy to travel, but hard to penetrate certain parts of society.

What inspired you to become a writer?

When I left home and went to Africa, I realised that I had a subject and something to write about. A new place is very vivid to you, and when something is vivid it suggests the possibility that you can write about it. Of course, you become a writer for many reasons. There are many psychological reasons for becoming a writer. There are too many reasons to go into, but there are reasons to explain the actions. I come from a big family … that may be a reason. I grew up in the ’60s … maybe that’s also a factor. These are all sociological, political and environmental factors.

Do you believe that anyone can become a writer nowadays if they have a passport and notebook computer?

Yes, anyone can write, and most people can write a book, but the hard thing is to find someone to read the material. So everyone can write, but not everyone will find readers. The point of writing is finding someone who cares about what you write about. This should be the vision of a writer … to persuade the reader that what they are reading is the truth and that it will alter their view of the world. Otherwise what you’re doing is just wasting your time.

How much influence do you believe travel writers have in the international arena?

I don’t know whether I have power. First I don’t re-read something after it’s published. In terms of power, I think the nearer you are to power, political power especially, you become morally blind or morally ambiguous. Political people have to make very pragmatic decisions, so it’s wrong to seek power and it’s a big mistake to be close to power, because you begin to blur the line between truth and practicality. Take John Steinbeck, for example. He was on good terms with President Johnson, whose son was in the Vietnam War, and he became kind of an apologetic for Johnson for the war. No one really reads his books these days. So if a US president like George Bush Jr invited me to the White House I would worry a lot if he took interest in me. There are two kinds of writers, I think. There are great writers that governments are afraid of, because writing is like a moral authority, whereas the second group of great writers governments love, because they can use them. So I’d like to be in the first category.

Can it be said that your books reflect your growth as an individual in the public eye?

I think that that’s true if you look at my books over the years. I published my first book when I was 25, and that was a long time ago. I have grown up and changed, and have seen the world change, too. I’m sure that my writing has changed as well. I never thought that I’d write the “great American novel”, like Moby Dick. Instead I wanted to write shelves full of books that showed a portion of the world that I’ve lived in, and I hope this is the case. That’s why when someone asks me what book of mine they should read, I tell them to read as many books as they can. If you read just one book, you see me in a particular mood, place, year, or experience. However, the more you read the better you understand. I’m sure that all my books are not the same quality, but it’s important to read as much by a novelist as possible, to understand. The problem with universities is that they choose one book by authors like Ernest Hemingway or F. Scott Fitzgerald. People don’t realise that these authors wrote many different books, reflecting who they were at different times in their lives.

Do you believe that outer space is the last frontier, because the world is growing smaller each day?

That’s true in terms of places to go, I agree, but every person sees something different in each place. There’s always a new point of view and new experiences, because each place reveals itself differently to the person who goes there. So if you go to America you see something, and if I go back to the States where I’m from, I will see something different. I know that I haven’t written the last word on Bangkok. Two basic rules for aspiring writers are to leave home and see the world in your own way, and to tell the truth. Don’t be persuaded by the truth as other people choose to see it. There are endless varieties of perception that people can have of a place, and ultimately it becomes an autobiography, for while you are trying to write about a place, you’re writing about yourself in the end.