Two exiled princes, one a gifted musician and the other an invincible warrior, leave their hard-hearted father's prosperous realm and travel to a world of wonder outside the conventional boundaries of time and place. They encounter hermits with magical powers, a capricious sea ogress, an alluring mermaid, patriotic princesses, wily astrologers, scheming courtiers, brutal pirates, and remarkable animals. Both princes are eventually presented with opportunities to become rulers of foreign lands threatened with invasion by warlike neighbouring principalities.
The central storyline of 'And the Piper Played the Tune' is not a new one. It follows closely many aspects of Sunthorn Phu's epic poem about the exploits of Phra Aphai Mani – a masterpiece that occupies a prominent place in the pantheon of Thai literature. Sunthorn Phu's poem blends realistic incidents and events driven by unnatural forces, frequently in the context of hazardous sea voyages. Accordingly, the saga of Phra Aphai Mani has often been compared to Homer's Odyssey. 'And the Piper Played the Tune' is David Morisset's respectful attempt to make Sunthorn Phu's epic known to English-speaking readers.
David Morisset is the pen name of an Australian writer who grew up in the distinctive landscape of Sydney's semi-rural western fringe. Later, in the course of his work as a diplomat and an economist, he travelled widely in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Europe, America and Oceania. He has published several novels as well as collections of poems and short stories.