THAILAND LITERATURE

Thai literature, body of writings of the Thai (Siamese) people, historically

fostered by the kings, who themselves often produced outstanding literary
works.
The earliest literature, that of the Sukhothai period (13th to mid-14th
century), survives chiefly in stone inscriptions, which provide vivid accounts
of contemporary life. The most famous of these is the Ramkhamhaeng
inscription of 1292, in which King Ramkhamhaeng records the economic
abundance of his kingdom and the benevolence of his rule.
Classical literature, written in verse, dates from the Ayutthaya period (1351
1767). It includes religious works such as Maha chat (The Great Birth), later
rewritten as Maha chat kham luang(The Royal Version of the Great Birth),
the Thai version of the Vessantara jataka, which recounts the story of the
future Buddhas penultimate life on earth; Lilit phra Lo (The Story of Prince
Lo), a tragic romance, widely regarded as one of the greatest of Thai poetic
works, and Lilit Yuan phai (The Defeat of the Yuan), a historical work,
celebrating Ayutthayas defeat of the forces of the northern Lan Na kingdom.
The reign of King Narai (165688) is seen as a golden era, in which writers
were welcomed at the royal court, and new verse forms were developed;
some of the most highly regarded nirat poemsa genre characterized by the
themes of journeying, separation, and love-longingdate from this period,
including Si Prats famous Nirat khlong kamsuan (A Mournful Journey),
describing his journey into exile in Nakhon Sri Thammarat.
Much literature was lost in the sack of Ayutthaya by Hsinbyushin of Myanmar
(Burma) in 1767. After the restoration of Thai sovereignty, and the
establishment of a new capital at Bangkok, many law codes, religious works,
and literary texts were rewritten. These include the Ramakian, a Thai version
of the Indian Ramayana, which was composed during the reign of Rama
I (17821809); Khun Chang Khun Phaen, an epic poem full of martial and
amatory exploits, which took its title from the two main protagonists;
and Phra Aphaimani, named after its hero. The second and third both date
from the reign of Rama II (180924).

Translations of best-selling Western fiction by authors such as Marie Corelli,

William Le Queux, Charles Garvice, H. Rider Haggard, Sax Rohmer, Anthony
Hope, and Arthur Conan Doyle, began to appear at the beginning of the 20th
century, but by the mid-1920s original Thai stories, often serialized in
newspapers and magazines before their publication in a book, had become
more popular. Most were romantic novels, typically involving a poor boyrich
girl (or rich boypoor girl) theme, in which the plot was brought to a happy
conclusion by a series of improbable coincidences.
The late 1920s heralded a golden decade in which a number of writers began
to address social issues (such as polygamy, prostitution, social inequality,
and social class) in a serious way. Works such as Lakhon haeng
chiwit (1929; The
Circus
of
Life)
by
M.C.
Akatdamkoeng
Raphiphat,Songkhram chiwit (1932; The War of Life) and Khang lang
phap (1937; Behind the Painting and Other Stories) by Siburapha (pen name
of Kulap Saipradit), Ying khon chua (1937; The Prostitute) by K.
Surangkhanang (Kanha Khiengsiri), and Phudi (1937; The Gentry) by
Dokmai Sot (Buppha Kunchon), have since come to be regarded as classics.
Of these, the most famous is Siburaphas Behind the Painting, which by the
turn of the 21st century had been reprinted almost 40 times, translated into
Chinese and Japanese, and twice adapted for film. Set partly in Japan, the
story relates the doomed love affair between a young Thai student studying
finance in Japan and an older, unhappily married Thai aristocrat. It differs
from most fiction of the period in its attempt to deal honestly with emotions;
more than 10 years after its appearance, an influential essay by P.
Muangchomphu (Udom Sisuwan) suggested that, at a deeper level, the
characters symbolize the eclipse of the old aristocracy by a new comprador
capitalist class.
In the late 1940s many writers were influenced by Socialist Realism and for a
brief period produced novels and short stories highlighting social injustice.
Most were silenced or fell silent during the literary dark age of the 1950s
and 1960s when freedom of speech was severely curtailed; in the later years
only escapist fiction, called stagnant water literature, survived. One writer
who proved an exception during this period was Lao Khamhom (Khamsing
Srinawk), whose subtle stories about country folk, first published in a
collection called Fa bo kan (1959;The Politician and Other Stories), often
carry a more subversive message than is immediately apparent. Although his
output was small, with most of his best work dating from the late 1950s to

the early 1970s, Lao Khamhoms stature within the literary world continued
to grow, and in 1992 he was awarded the prestigious title National Artist
of Thailand.
By the late 1960s a new generation of writers was rediscovering Socialist
Realism, known as Literature for Life in Thailand, and their work played a
part in articulating the intellectual climate that led to the overthrow of the
military government in 1973; however, such fiction, with its often simplistic
treatment of issues, had little broad appeal and soon disappeared, hastened
by the vicious military counter-revolution of 1976. This event caused many
writers, intellectuals, and students to flee to the jungles to join the
Communist Party of Thailand. But fears of a new dark age proved
unfounded when the coup leaders of 1976 were quickly replaced by a more
liberal faction. In 1977 the writer, artist, and prolific editor Suchart Sawatsi
set up the groundbreaking literary journal Lok nangsu (197783; Book
World), which, with its eclectic combination of articles, interviews, reviews,
short stories, and poems, covering both the Thai and international literary
world, provided a real and challenging focus for all who aspired to be a part
of the literary community. After the demise of Lok nangsu, Suchart
continued to play a major role in the Thai literary world, promoting short
stories through his quarterly magazine,Cho karaket (19902000; Screwpine
Flower Garland), and annual prizes and undertaking research on early 20thcentury Thai literary history.
The rapid economic and social changes that were beginning to sweep
through Thai society by the mid-1980s offered writers new and challenging
themes, while the introduction of literary prizes, accolades, and constant
media attention also played a part in creating a vibrant literary scene. Of the
writers that emerged during this period, Chart Korbjitti (also spelled Chat
Kobjitti) proved to be the most successful, both artistically and commercially.
His skillfully structured short novel Chon trork (1980; The End of the Road),
with its constant time shifts, chronicles the economic and moral descent of a
decent working-class family, who no matter how hard they work are unable
to withstand the relentless pressure of day-to-day living on the minimum
daily wage; unlike Literature for Life writers, Chart forced readers to draw
their own conclusions from the accumulation of detail rather than pointing
the finger of blame at a sector of society. The same uncompromisingly bleak
vision
is
also
apparent
in
his
award-winning
novel Kham
phiphaksa (1982; The Judgment), in which a well-meaning rural school janitor
is turned into a social outcast through the narrow-minded gossip and

hypocrisy of the community in which he has grown up. By publishing his own
works, Chart achieved a degree of financial independence that most writers
in Thailand could only dream of. It is a measure of both his serious literary
purpose, in wishing to reach an international audience, and his financial
astuteness, that he published English translations of his novels.

Submitted by:
MERVIN P. BORGOOS

Grade VIII
Liceo de Liliw