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KATYA AND THE PRINCE OF SIAM

Name: KATYA AND THE PRINCE OF SIAM
Author: Eileen Hunter
ISBN: 0-904-56876-8

by Eileen Hunter with Narisa Chakrabongse ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 4, 1995

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A workmanlike account of Prince Chakrabongse of Siam's marriage to a Russian commoner in 1906. Katya's story begins with 19th-century King Mongkutthe ruler made famous in the West through his children's governess, whose memoir inspired the popular musical The King and I. A benevolent monarch, Mongkut instituted numerous reforms. His son, King Chulalongkorn, continued in his father's footsteps, bringing hospitals and public education to Siam, visiting foreign rulers, and sending his own children to be educated abroad. Of these 77 children, Prince Chakrabongse was arguably his father's favorite, the most charming and intelligent son of the king's favorite wife, Supreme Queen Saowabha. In 1898, when he was 13, Chakrabongse was sent to Russia at the czar's invitation. He lived there for eight years and met Ekaterina Ivanovna Desnitsky (Katya), whom he married secretly and brought home to Siam. No member of the royal family had ever married a foreigner, and Katya was never acknowledged by Chulalongkorn. Saowabha, however, eventually reconciled herself to the marriage, especially when Katya gave birth to a son, Chula. For a time Katya and Chakrabongse seemed content; at his brother's ascension to the throne Chakrabongse was named prince regent, while Katya became fluent in Siamese and fond of her new home. But their marriage soured when Chakrabongse had an affair with a 15-year-old princess, and the two were divorced in 1919. Chakrabongse died less than a year later; Katya remarried and died in America in 1960 at the age of 72. Chula moved to England, where he met and married Lisba Hunter, the authors' sister and mother, and lived there until his early death from cancer in 1964. Best for its descriptions of royal decadence, in Siam and abroad, but notably lacking in any exploration of the racial tensions that lie at the heart of this strange tale. (180 b&w photos)

Pub Date: Oct. 4, 1995

ISBN: 0-904-56876-8

Page Count: 222

Publisher: N/A

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1995

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

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NUTCRACKER

by E.T.A. Hoffmann ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 28, 1996

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This is not the Nutcracker sweet, as passed on by Tchaikovsky and Marius Petipa. No, this is the original Hoffmann tale of 1816, in which the froth of Christmas revelry occasionally parts to let the dark underside of childhood fantasies and fears peek through. The boundaries between dream and reality fade, just as Godfather Drosselmeier, the Nutcracker's creator, is seen as alternately sinister and jolly. And Italian artist Roberto Innocenti gives an errily realistic air to Marie's dreams, in richly detailed illustrations touched by a mysterious light. A beautiful version of this classic tale, which will captivate adults and children alike. (Nutcracker; $35.00; Oct. 28, 1996; 136 pp.; 0-15-100227-4)

Pub Date: Oct. 28, 1996

ISBN: 0-15-100227-4

Page Count: 136

Publisher: Harcourt

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 1996

Categories:

GENERAL NONFICTION

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER AND THE MOUSE KING
by E.T.A. Hoffmann ; adapted by Natalie Andrewson ; illustrated by Natalie Andrewson

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
by E.T.A. Hoffmann & illustrated by Julie Paschkis

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TO THE ONE I LOVE THE BEST

EPISODES FROM THE LIFE OF LADY MENDL (ELSIE DE WOLFE)

by Ludwig Bemelmans ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 1955

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An extravaganza in Bemelmans' inimitable vein, but written almost dead pan, with sly, amusing, sometimes biting undertones, breaking through. For Bemelmans was "the man who came to cocktails". And his hostess was Lady Mendl (Elsie de Wolfe), arbiter of American decorating taste over a generation. Lady Mendl was an incredible person,- self-made in proper American tradition on the one hand, for she had been haunted by the poverty of her childhood, and the years of struggle up from its ugliness,- until she became synonymous with the exotic, exquisite, worshipper at beauty's whrine. Bemelmans draws a portrait in extremes, through apt descriptions, through hilarious anecdote, through surprisingly sympathetic and understanding bits of appreciation. The scene shifts from Hollywood to the home she loved the best in Versailles. One meets in passing a vast roster of famous figures of the international and artistic set. And always one feels Bemelmans, slightly offstage, observing, recording, commenting, illustrated.