Items related to The English Governess at the Siamese Court
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About the Author:
Anna Harriette Leonowens (1831–1915) was a teacher of Anglo-Indian background who became famous as a travel writer, educator, and social activist. She worked in Siam from 1862 to 1868, where she taught the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam. Leonowens's experiences in Siam were fictionalised in Margaret Landon's 1944 bestselling novel Anna and the King of Siam and in various films and television miniseries based on the book, most notably Rodgers and Hammerstein's 1951 hit musical The King and I. In 1862, Leonowens accepted an offer made by the Siamese consul in Singapore, Tan Kim Ching, to teach the wives and children of Mongkut, king of Siam. The king wished to give his 39 wives and concubines and 82 children a modern Western education on scientific secular lines, which earlier missionaries' wives had not provided. Leonowens sent her daughter Avis to school in England, and took her son Louis with her to Bangkok. She served at court until 1867, a period of nearly six years, first as a teacher and later as language secretary for the king. Although her position carried great respect and even a degree of political influence, she did not find the terms and conditions of her employment to her satisfaction, and came to be regarded by the king himself as a 'difficult woman and more difficult than generality'. In 1868, Leonowens was on leave for her health in England and had been negotiating a return to the court on better terms when Mongkut fell ill and died. The king mentioned Leonowens and her son in his will, though they did not receive the legacy. The new monarch, fifteen-year-old Chulalongkorn, who succeeded his father, wrote Leonowens a warm letter of thanks for her services. He did not invite her to resume her post but they corresponded amicably for many years. By 1869, Leonowens began contributing travel articles to a Boston journal, Atlantic Monthly, including 'The Favorite of the Harem', reviewed by the New York Times as 'an Eastern love story, having apparently a strong basis of truth'. She expanded her articles into two volumes of memoirs, beginning with The English Governess at the Siamese Court (1870), which earned her immediate fame but also brought charges of sensationalism. In her writing, she casts a critical eye over court life; the account is not always a flattering one, and has become the subject of controversy in Thailand; she has also been accused of exaggerating her influence with the king.
From AudioFile:
In 1862, Anna Leonowens moved with her youngest child to Siam to serve as governess and translator to the king and his family. Leonowens wrote an account of her adventure, the basis for the play and movie ANNA AND THE KING OF SIAM, detailing arguments with the king, reflections on daily life in Siam, and insights into the religions and philosophies of those she encountered. Nadia May makes a valiant effort at infusing feeling into the work, but her superb performance doesn't transcend Leonowens's burdensome detail. Recounts of and interactions with the royal family are delightful, but Leonowens often falls into judging and belittling her hosts rather than reporting. May keeps her tone light and humorous at these times, but it isn't enough to remove the shock one feels at such politically incorrect viewpoints as seen from our modern vantage point. H.L.S. © AudioFile 2002, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
- PublisherBiblioLife
- Publication date2008
- ISBN 10 0554321742
- ISBN 13 9780554321745
- BindingHardcover
- Number of pages300
- Rating
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