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Thailand’s Most Popular Writers

Both in the past and the present, particular Thai authors become really well-known after creating some form of literary work that proves valuable. It may be that their work influences both individual readers and society alike.

Some of their works may become legendary in the ways they inspire and provoke thought, opening up the reader’s world as any good literature worth its salt should do.

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And this may come as some surprise to any visiting bookshop aficionado who has spent time enough in Thailand to have found the country and culture to be largely devoid of ‘readers’– broadly speaking, that is. But everyone, and none so much as the Thais themselves, is acutely aware of the distinct lack of a requirement for libraries in the country.

And yet there is most definitely another side to this coin. Thai literature carries its own glorious historical and landmark elements which continue to be added to. A notably increasing number of bookshops of all description have slowly but surely begun expanding across the Thai capital over the last decade or so.

And Bangkok was actually named the UNESCO World Book Capital in 2013, much to the surprise of many locals. The capital was selected in light of its programs to promote books and reading. And once you start looking a bit deeper into it, you’ll find that Thailand has a much broader spectrum of literature worth reading than many people realise, coming from distinguished novelists and upcoming writers alike.

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Many deceased authors’ works remain in the public eye, providing thought-provoking inspiration to new generations of readers and helping them to and open up their world. And as the truth is often stranger than fiction – especially in Thailand – the country is currently home to many up-and-coming writers, whether in the genres of fiction, non-fiction, poetry, biographies, or something else entirely.

Any aspiring Thai writer probably considers both past and present literary figures as inspiration with their own writing goals. So let’s have a closer look at some of the most prominent literary figures of the past and the present in this post about Thailand’s most popular writers.

Seni Saowapong

Seni’s real name was actually Sakchai Bamrungpong, and this somewhat complex figure was actually an author and a journalist as well as a sometime diplomat.

Seni passed away in 2014, but he won many accolades in his time, including ‘National Artist for Literature’ in 1990. He is most well-known for the novel is Pee-sard (The Ghost), penned way back in 1953, although it didn’t reach its pinnacle of popularity until twenty years later. Apparently it struck a chord with student activists with its critical view of the old societal values and feudal system.

The main characters in the story are young students who are looking for fair and equal treatment, regardless of their perceived status in society or family background. The book is still a reference point today for many young Thais interested in literature.

Prabda Yoon

Prabda Yoon is a contemporary Thai literary figure who has dabbled in various styles but continues to win praise. The author had a U.S. education and lived there until 2002. When he did move back to Thailand at the age of 29 he soon began receiving accolades for his literary efforts.

Prabda was awarded the S.E.A. Write Award for a collection of short stories he wrote titled â€˜The Sad Part Was’. This book is also published in English, and the writer is actually a renowned translator himself, having worked on some getting some famous pieces of literature into his own native language. A few instances of these include Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov and A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess.

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Rong Wongsawan

Rong Wongsawan was a Thai author of some versatility who was honoured as a national artist in 1995. His work included novels, magazine articles, short stories, essays, and screenplays.

His first real claim to fame came from a satirical novel about Thais living in America. The book is called Pa Concrete, is set in the 1970s, and examines the behaviour of the Thais abroad.

Rong apparently had his own style of expression and delivery which was somewhat unorthodox in Thai grammatical terms. Needless to say, at the time of writing Rong attracted his fair share of detractors, while influencing generations in other ways. The author passed away in 2009.

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Srifa Ladawan

Formally known as Srifa Mahawan, this popular female Thai writer was named a National Artist in 1996. The writer used her various pen names to release more than 100 novels and short stories.

Srifa was also known for the way her novels so ably depicted social ills without necessarily judging them, and many storylines have been made into TV series and movies. Her most well-known novel is called Kamin Kub Poon which is a tale of the struggles encountered by the ruling class in the post-1932 Siamese Revolution. She passed away in 2013.

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Kanokpong Songsompan

Kanokpong is another Thai literary adept and winner of the SEA Write in 1996. He became known from his book of short stories known as Pan Din Uen (The Other Land).

Kanokpong’s tales examine and reflect upon the lives and culture of southern Thai people. This is the writer’s home territory and the context behind the stories is always contemporary, universal, and touches on the different aspects of individuals, families, and society.

Kanokpong produced the highest number of short stories published in any magazine, and he also created an interesting phenomenon by playing around with the short story genre by making them quite a bit longer than is the norm.

He was awarded various accolades for his critically acclaimed short stories in the 1990s, and passed away in 2006.

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Viraporn Nitiprapha

Thai author Veeraporn Nitiprapha is a contemporary novelist of considerable popularity. She was awarded her second SEA Write Award in 2018 for one of her more recent novels Memories of the Memories of the Black-Rose-Cat. 

She wrote a novel called The Blind Earthworm in the Labyrinth in 2015 which has so far brought her the most acclaim. It has also just been released in a translated English version for the first time.

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Sunthorn Phu

Sunthorn Phu was a 19^th-century Thai poet, often referred to as the Thai Shakespeare. Even to this day, he is certainly one of the best-known poets in Thai literature, and much of his work has been celebrated and detailed in various literary landmarks all across the country.

You’ll find many monuments dedicated to this popular Thai writer, like the one in Sunthorn Phu Memorial Park in Rayong. This park also holds a large celebration every year to celebrate the author’s birthday.

Angkarn Kalayanapong

Sometimes referred to as the greatest poet of the Rattanakosin period, Angkarn Kalayanapong was both a writer and a painter from Nakhon Si Thammarat who received many accolades both before and after his death in 2012.

The writer won a Southeast Asian Writers (SEA) Award in 1986 with his book Panitharn Kawee (Declaration of a Poet), and he was named a National Artist in literature in 1989. Angkarn is often credited as having given birth to modern Thai poetry and his encourages people through its Dhamma-influenced messages. Angkarn had a somewhat unique poetic style which often broke free of the restrictions of traditional poetry.

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Kampoon Boontawee

Kampoon was Thailand’s first SEA Write winner, as well as a National Artist laureate in 2004. Before he passed away in 2003, he was responsible for writing many short stories and novels, as well as making documentaries, identifying with the people of the Northeast region of Thailand where he was born.

His well-known and highly acclaimed classic novel Luk Isan (Child of the Northeast) paints a vivid picture of life’s hardships for Isaan people in remote areas — seen through the eyes of a young and naïve child. This novel has been included in a list put together by Thai scholars as being among the 100 best recommended books for Thais to read. It has been translated into several other foreign languages, including English.

Vanich Charungkit-Anan

Another deceased yet inspirational Thai writer, Vanich’s  literary skills were expansive and encompassed poetry, short stories, novels, screenplays, children’s books and documentaries. He even wrote scripts for the popular Thai ‘Lakorn’TV series’.

This versatile writer won many accolades in his time, and received an SEA Write Award in 1984 for his short stories book Soi Diew Kun, his portrayal of various aspects of Thai urban lives. His best-known novel is called Mae Bia and has been made into several TV series’ and a films.

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Suwat Woradilok

This popular and influential Thai writer passed away in 2007, but he managed to win the 1991 National Artist award along with many other accolades in his time.

Also known as Rapeeporn, Suwat is most well-known for his short stories, novels and plays, and he penned around 90 novels. His work is still well thought of for its deep insights into people’s lives, although it is geared towards universal problems and not necessarily any one society in particular.

Suwat played his part as one of the pioneers of Thai theatre, I his role as playwright, director and producer, also founding a theatre troupe.

His most acclaimed novel is called Luk Tart (The Son of a Slave), and is set during the time when Thailand was still party to a slave system. His later novels turned more towards politics and social problems, before his death in 2007.