Vichai reveals riveting reads
By Husnee Ngasakul
Photos by Varuth Hirunyatheb
The 10th edition of Living Creatures in a Hotel included 14 extra chapters.
Before becoming one of Thailand’s best-selling non-fiction authors, Vichai Matakul worked at the front desk of a hotel in Phuket, where he passed the time by reading.
One of the books he read during that time, Sing Mee Chee Wit Thi Riak Wa Khon (A Living Creature Called Human Being) by S.E.A. Write Award winner Win Lyovarin, had an experimental writing style that mesmerised Vichai.
Vichai was further inspired to try his hand at writing when he read Yellow Cabby: Taxi New York by Smartupid. Reading that book encouraged Vichai to write his best-selling debut, Sing Mee Chee Wit Nai Rong Ram (Living Creatures in a Hotel).
“Smartupid wrote in a casual way with no fancy words,” Vichai said. “When I later re-read my first book, I could see that my writing style was similar to Smartupid’s writing in Yellow Cabby.”
Apart from inspiring his own writing, Vichai likes to read to learn about other people’s perspectives.
“Authors sometimes have ideas that are completely different to the way most people think,” Vichai said.
Student Weekly recently asked Vichai to tell us about five of his favourite books.