Inside the House of the Raja: My journey to a forgotten palace in Thailand's troubled Deep South - Softcover

Xavier Comas

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1912049384 ISBN 13: 9781912049387

Publisher: monsoon, 2018

Synopsis

Forgotten in Thailand's troubled Deep South, on the border of Muslim Malaysia, stands a dilapidated wooden palace once home to a Malay ruler, the last of his dynasty. Locals call it the House of the Raja , a place suffused with loss and solitude, laden with the region s glorious past and tragic present. Intrigued by this demonised, yet little-known borderland, Xavier Comas chanced upon this mysterious house. Crossing the doorway, he fell under its spell and felt compelled to delve into its past. The caretaker, a Muslim shaman who held rituals inside, invited the author to stay and initiated him into its hidden dimensions. As he builds a bond of trust with the inhabitants of the house, the missing pieces of its history gently fall into place, revealing an ancient culture long hidden and the building s ties to the centuries-old struggles in this contested region. Comas evocative story take us into a realm of hauntings, mystic powers and fading memories. His first-hand account enthralls the reader with vivid descriptions in which the real and the magical entwine. Inside the House of the Raja provides a missing key to controversial issues of legacy, belief and identity in Thailand s Muslim South.

About this title

About the Author

Author and photographer Xavier Comas is a fine arts graduate of the University of Barcelona, whose work has been published and exhibited in Europe and Asia, as well as being featured by prominent magazines throughout the world. The Singapore Art Museum exhibited his installation Pasajero in 2009 and acquired his Jiutamai series as a permanent collection. In researching The House of the Raja, Comas immersed himself in the Deep South of Thailand for over a year and returns regularly.

Edition details

• Publisher: monsoon
• Publication date: 2018
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 1912049384
• ISBN 13: 9781912049387
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 208