Wyndedanse

Product Description Wyndedanse is a historical novel about Siam_s decline from her consolidation and relative ascendancy in the 16th century, her gradual decline in the 17th century, to her fall in the next century at the hand of Burmese invaders, terminating in the destruction of Ayutthaya, Siam_s old capital. The characters and events in this novel reflect for the most part actual characters and events. Some liberties have been taken with places, situations, and sources in order to support the overall theme. Thai place names and words used in the text have been modernized. Ultimately it is a work of fiction that in no way wishes to usurp the functions of the historian, biographer, or the student of literature. About the Author Richard J. Carr is currently a Ph.D. candidate in Germanic Languages and Literatures at the University of Virginia. Wyndedanse is the fruit of a four-year stay in Thailand where he acquired a knowledge of the Thai (formerly Siamese) language. Carr worked at the Library of Congress for many years where he cataloged Thai books for about four years as well. He is also the author of a translation (1974) of Nicol_s Guillen_s poetry collection Tengo. He was born on May 24, 1935, and is consequently one of the oldest graduate students at UVA. As a linguist of some accomplishment, he is fluent in German, Spanish, French, and Thai. An interest in exotic literature dealing with Southeast Asia dates back to the years of the U.S. aggression against Vietnam. The superficial character of what passes for the modern American novel became the motivating force for Wyndedanse, his first novel.