THE PIRATES OF TARUTAO AND SPIRIT HOUSE STORIES OF OUTCATS AND OUTLAW

Abstract

Featuring The Pirates of Tarutao as a World War II adventure story, Paul Adirex offers his readers plots and intrigues based on a true story. Meanwhile those enjoying Christopher G. Moore's, Spirit House find themselves absorbed in murders and scandals surrounding the Erawan Shrine. However, in addition to entertaining their audiences, these authors have brought themselves another daunting task-bridging the cultural gap between the Western patrons and their multicultural, including Thai, characters. A study reveals some differences between the categories of cultural terms and strategies of cultural transfer used by the Thai writer Adirex and those used by his Canadian counterpart. The dissimilarities, to a certain extent, point to the contrasting motives in their literary creations. While Paul Adirex sees himself as an insider trying to 'translate' Thai culture for his readers, Christopher Moore, as well as his private eye, is and outside who has run the risk of blending himself with the locals, hoping to understand their beliefs, customs, and way of life.