S.P. Somtow │once called “the most well-known expatriate Thai in the world,” says International Herald Tribune
First Asian President of the Horror Writers Association, a science fiction, fantasy, and horror author writing in English and a Thai-American musical composer.
Today’s guest is a renaissance man of epic proportions. In August 2023 he was named a National Artist by Thailand’s Ministry of Culture. He has appeared in films. He composes symphonies. He’s written a plethora of books to include science fiction, horror and even children’s books.
Regarding horror, he was the first Asian to serve as president in the Horror Writers Association. His latest opera, composed for the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz, is playing in repertory this season at Theater Hof in Germany.
If you would like to know more… and there is so much more, you can visit his website at somtow.com. To get to know this amazing man better, please enjoy this video interview he graciously recorded.
Someone pointed out to me that the quote from the Herald Tribune is a bit anachronistic since I’m no longer an expatriate Thai. It came out twenty years ago. Nowadays I suspect that several expatriate Thais are more well known than I could ever be, like Lisa, the K-pop star. Or brilliant and notorious ex prime minister Thaksin. Still, in some fields, maybe still true....
Thanks for giving a platform for an old dude to ramble. Happy to come back any time.