A prize-winning novel, first published in 1969 and here newly translated into English. Taking the form of a series of letters back home to his mother, the novel follows the fate of Tan Suang U, a Chinese immigrant in Bangkok at the close of World War II, who marries, raises a family, and runs a successful business. The novel, among its many pleasures, depicts daily life in Bangkok's thriving Chinatown.  (TLD45, $17.50)