A historical anthology of Thai literature in the 20th century

You are cordially invited to a talk on “A historical anthology of Thai literature in the 20th century” organized by the Department of Literature and Cultural Studies. Details of the talk are as follows:

Abstract

During a digital age characterized by declining book readership and printing, it is remarkable that Thailand produced an average of nearly 80 novel titles annually between 1965 and 1975. This period, often referred to as the golden era of Thai novels, was fueled by the social and political consciousness of young and middle-class individuals during the authoritarian rule of Marshall Phibun, Sarit and subsequently Thanom in the Cold War era. This lecture will explore the social and political context of Thailand in the 20th century, with a specific focus on Thai modern literature, particularly socialist and political novels and short stories. These literary forms, which began to emerge in the 1920s, experienced a surge in popularity during the 1970s, giving rise to a new literary movement known as "literature for life." The lecture will also examine the contributing factors to the decline of this genre in the 1980s.

About the Speaker

Piyada Chonlaworn is a Professor at the Faculty of International Studies, Tenri University, Japan. Her research interests include pre-modern and modern Thai history and contemporary Japanese studies with an emphasis on labor migration. Her major publications include Prawatsat thi thuk Lum: Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat naiyook Chedhuamuang (Forgotten History: Thailand’s southern provinces Pattani, Yala, Narathiwat in the Nineteenth Century, Thammasat University Press) and Yiipun thi Yang Mairuchak (Unknown Japan, Pappim).