A new Norman Mailer

Gwendolyn Chabrier says life influences her writings. She is seen here with her latest book, “Norman Mailer: The Self-appointed Messiah”.

American writer and lecturer Gwendolyn Chabrier, 60, was in Bangkok when this writer caught up with her in early April as she wound up a television interview to promote her latest work, "Norman Mailer: The Self-appointed Messiah".

Chabrier's fascination with Thailand is probably best attested to by her decision to publish two of her books in the City of Angels. The Paris-based writer's first novel, "Asian Destiny" - a semi-autobiographical work - was published by Orchid Press in Bangkok in 2006.

When asked what inspired her to write the novel and then publish it in Thailand, she says, "I had a lot of biographical things to use and there was no need to invent [any plot] and conversation."

Set in the 1950s, the novel is about Sabrina, the daughter of a New York socialite divorcee, who travels to Southeast Asia and falls in love with Burma, where she later becomes involved with the politics of the country. The book is part historical and part fiction; Chabrier has also incorporated some of her childhood experiences and interactions with well-known personalities in the plot.

Chabrier first visited Thailand in 1962 after her mother's divorce. And at the Oriental Hotel, where they stayed, both were invited for a meal with Jim Thompson. Chabrier, who was just 13, had the opportunity to interact and visit antique shops with the legendary founder of the renowned Jim Thompson Thai Silk Company.

Chabrier's stepfather, David Milford Haven, was the nephew of Louis Mountbatten, who Chabrier was friendly with. Louis Mountbatten was a great-grandson of Queen Victoria.

Most of these references are there in the novel, which has also been translated into French.

Before this novel, Chabrier wrote a book on Nobel Prize-winning American novelist William Faulkner, titled "Faulkner's Families: a Southern Saga", published in France and the United States in 1993.

Chabrier describes her latest work, also published here this year, as an autobiographical literary book. Mailer passed away at the age of 84 last November and was known as an outspoken American novelist, journalist, poet, playwright, screenwriter and film director. He is the author of such masterpieces as "The Naked and the Dead", "The Armies of the Night" and "The Executioner's Song".

The book is based on a number of personal interviews the author conducted with Mailer and on many years of research on this iconic American writer.

In the introduction, Chabrier writes, "Mailer remains one of the most emblematic literary figures of our time, a fact that cannot be dissociated from the quasi-religious mission he had consciously undertaken from the beginning of his career: to become a prophet; a self-appointed messiah, of his times and of his country."

Chabrier says the book places the late Mailer in the context of his time, as a Jewish writer.

"It is important to see him as a Jewish writer, as most people know him [just] as an American writer and are often surprised. The book shows in what way he is Jewish - in the way he views women, politics, anti-Semitism, Blacks, minorities and also to place Mailer and other Jewish writers of his generation in their [framework] in today's world," Chabrier says.

She says she chose Mailer because he was a celebrity and a personality in New York, and received greater acceptance than other Jewish writers.

Even though there have been several books on Mailer, Chabrier says her book is written with a different perspective. The title, she says, is related to Judaism, a reference to Mailer's Jewish roots. "Mailer considered himself that way as he changed American society, like the Messiah Jeremiah."

Chabrier studied and taught literature at New York University, where she graduated magna cum laude. She holds a Doctorat d'Etat with highest honours from the University de Paris IV-Sorbonne. She has also been a literary scout for Les Editions Lebaud in Paris. She currently resides in Paris and often travels to Asia.

"I love Chiang Mai and ... I visited Burma this year, too. It felt like visiting an old friend. The airport is very modernised and so is the city [Rangoon]. I love the antiques," she says, pointing to a new piece of jade jewellery she bought during her visit.

Asked to describe what influences her writings, Chabrier pauses, then says, "Life influences my writings."

She counts American-born British author Henry James as one of the writers she most admires and says she does not follow any specific writing style, though dialogues do amuse her in fiction. She is generally more comfortable with literary criticism and non-fiction writings and reveals that writing the novel has been a memorable experience for her.

Her next book is due out soon. "It is a historical novel on life in the concentration camps of Riga Ghetto and Kaiserwald in the Baltics. I've practically finished writing and hope to get it published here," Chabrier says.