[5] Thailand

1. Boatman’s Love Song

2. Three-Line Poem (Haiku)

3. Summary Collection of Thai Century Literatures

Literatures of Thailand

Sawadee

Thai word for, “Hello!”

Chai

Thai word for, “Yes!”

Mai

Thai word for, “No!”

Aaj Ja

Thai word for, “Maybe”

Khop khun

Thai word for, “Thank you”

Khor thoad

Thai word for, “Sorry, Excuse me”

Kun pood paasaa anggrit dai mai

Thai word for, “Can you speak English?”

Mai pen rai

Thai word for, “No worries”

Uten Mahamid

wrote the three-line poem (haiku),

In one remote area,
murdering one’s own cat
is the most magical thing

Mui Poopoksakul

translated the three-line poem (haiku),

In one remote area,
murdering one’s own cat
is the most magical thing

1. Smile of the Rice Goddess

2. Champoon

3. Maum

4. The Barbs

5. What is Such Forging?

6. A Poet’s Pledge 1 & 2

7. E-san

8. Mere Movement

9. Arrival of Nirvana at Egg-Noodle Shop

Summary Collection of Thai Century Literatures

Office of Contemporary Art and Culture

In the project ASEAN 20th Century Literatures, this office implements this project to promote understanding of Thai Culture and way of life among foreign readers

9

number of literary pieces selected by the appointed Committee for their appeal, literary value, and reflection of Thai literature development, in which all of them show Thai way of life, society, and culture and inspire imagination and creativity

1. Champoon by Dhep Mahapaoraya

2. Maum by Kukrit Pramoj

3. The Barbs by Phaitoon Thanya

Three short stories translated into English that are included in the Summary Collection of Thai Century Literatures

1. What is Such Forging? by Ujjeni

2. A Poet’s Pledge 1&2 by Angkram Kalayanapong

3. E-san by Nia Pee

4. Mere Movement by Naowarat Pongpaiboon

5. Smile of the Rice Goddess by Chiranan Pitpreecha

6. Arrival of Nirvana at Egg-Noodle Shop by Montri Sriyong

Six poems translated into English that are included in the Summary Collection of Thai Century Literatures

Chiranan Pitpreecha

wrote the poem, “Smile of the Rice Goddess”

Smile of the Rice Goddess

this poem portrays pestle crushing of rice by several female farmers, showing harmony and mutual kindness as well as the agricultural tradition in Thailand

Onomatopoeia

mainly used in the poem, resonating the sound of pestle crushing and creating the image of harmonious rhythmic trampling

Smile of the Rice Goddess

as rice growing is the most important profession in Thailand, the poem successfully symbolizes the farmers, female rice growers, and its nation

Dhep Mahapaoraya

wrote the story, Champoon

Champoon

a novella portraying Thai society prior to 1942 when women are mostly deprived of their rights and freedom; their marriage needed to be approved by their parents

Champoon

in this novella, the heroine has a forbidden love with a non-local man; having him as her one and only loves leads her to her doom

Champoon

the novella not only reveals the heroine’s strong determination and extreme sense of human dignity, but also reflects the background and atmosphere along with the way of life in the south of Thailand during that time

Kukrit Pramoj

wrote the short story, Maum

Maum

reveals the hardship of life in Bangkok during World War II (1942-1945) where families fell apart—separation and poverty were common place—, men became soldiers, and women and children were killed by bombs

Maum

The story is narrated through the eyes of the dog, whose name is the title of the story, turning series of unfortunate events into something lively and hopeful. He was very loyal to his master. With this kind of loyalty, the dog pretended his master from turning into a thief. The author seems to speak from the dog’s heart and this short story reflects how much Thai people love their dogs

Phaitoon Thanya

wrote the short story, The Barbs

The Barbs

a short story reflecting the spirit and the way of living of Thai rural people in agricultural society, which is based on friendship

The Barbs

Short story depicting old people as full of tender loving care. However, materialism and technological advancement create an industrial society in which friendship and compassion are in doubt. An old lady’s consideration is then not welcomed by a new mother who knows little about raising a newborn baby. It takes time for her to understand the old lady’s true intention. The author clearly shows the changing portrayal of Thai society, using pleated barbs as the symbol of rural compassion.

Ujjeni

wrote the poem, What is Such Forging?`

What is Such Forging?

This poem inspires people to get up and fight various obstacles in life. It raises the feeling of pride for being human.

What is Such Forging?

Filled with figures of speech showing vivid pictures and profound emotions, it is a classic poem inspiring people especially the young generations of each era. The poem gives moral support for every occasion, be it the political struggle of mass citizens or the grievance of an individual

Angkram Kalayanapong

wrote the poems, A Poet’s Pledge 1&2

A Poet’s Pledge 1&2

the two poems under the same name written in different eras demonstrate the greatness of poets, which differentiates from ordinary people

A Poet’s Pledge 1&2

In general, the ultimate goal of any Buddhist is to practice Dharma and reach nirvana. However, the poet in this poem (referring to the author) makes a pledge that he would rather write forever without any wish for nirvana. His only wish is to create poetry for the world—to convey the meaning of all earthly matter through great poetry to benefit the world.

A Poet’s Pledge 1&2

this poem praises the extremely valuable qualities of a poet

Nai Pee

wrote the poem, E-san

E-san

this poem vividly portrays the drought of the northeast during pre-1950s in a realistic way possible

E-san

where the poet employs various figures of speech to successfully create rich emotions enabling the Thai people to realize how barren E-san was at that time

E-san

this poem is another piece of the Thai’s classics, having represented the poet’s appeal to the world and humankind

Nai Pee

this author was a poet, a prosecutor, and a political activist

Naowarat Pongpaiboon

wrote the poem, Mere Movement

Mere Movement

this poem was written a few days before the uprising of 14 October 1973 and reflects the poet’s role in the movement of people’s thoughts and ways of living in the society

Mere Movement

The poem reveals the Thai people’s inner state involving their frustration and oppression under a dictator’s regime. With the author’s profound creation of image, this poem has been praised at all times.

Montri Sriyong

wrote the poem, Arrival of Nirvana at Egg-Noodle Shop

Arrival of Nirvana at Egg-Noodle Shop

This poem reflects the essence of work. The poem is rich in image and emotion, mainly happiness that spring from work. This coincides with the teaching of Buddhasa Bhikkhu who was a well-known monk from the south of Thailand: “work is happiness;” This poem touches the heart of those who seek to understand life.

Montri Sriyong

author who is a duck noodle merchant who makes his own noodle by threshing four and; he then portrays this process in this poem from the beginning to the end

Film Review

a critical judgment of a motion picture

Film Review

focuses on the art of the film maker and evaluates the techniques employed by the director

Introduction

in this part of the film review, it is a must that you mention and give credits to the screenwriter, director, cinematographer, actors, production designers and executive producers

1. Genre

2. Synopsis

3. Characterization

4. Sound

5. Cinematography

6. Production Design

Film Review Elements

Genre

film review element that specifies the kind or type of film

Genre

film review element that answers the following questions:

Is it comedy? Tragedy? Musical? Action? Thriller? Horror? Sci-Fi? Romance? Historical? Melodrama? Animation?

Synopsis

film review element that is the gist or summary of the film

Synopsis

film review element that answers the following questions:

What is the film all about? What are the objectives of the film? How were the elements of the story interrelated with one another?

Characterization

film review element that is the development or portrayal of the characters

Characterization

film review element that answers the following questions:

How will you describe the characters in the film? What are their deprivations and motivations? Are their acting skills convincing and powerful for the viewers?

Sound

film review element that is the essential aspect of the film, consisting speech, music, and sound effects

Speech

under the sound element of film review, it is the voice of the actors

Music

under the sound element of film review, it is the soundtrack or song laid in the film

Sound Effect

under the sound element of film review, it is the embedded sound in the film

Cinematography

film review element that is the manipulation of the filmstrip and photographic image by the camera

Cinematography

film review element that answers the following questions:

How was the coordination of one shot with the succeeding shot? Does the speed, motion, and transformation of each photographic image help in the quality of the film?

Production Design

a film review element that refers to the costumes and make-ups matched to the characters’ role

Production Design

film review element that answers the following questions:

Do the props stimulate the ambiance for the scene? Does the production design depict the setting of the story?