Page 107 - The lraternational Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand.indd

The International Journal of the Royal Society of Thailand
Volume XV-2023

2. The Preconditions of the “littérature engagée” or “Literature fr Life” in Thailand:
An Overview

At the end of the 40s of the 20 century, students and writers observed this
th
political tension with “new eyes”, especially intellectuals and poets, who began to put
question the function of literature: Literature, what for? Looking back to the years from
October 1973 to October 1976, many Thai poets and writers marked these “wonderful

years” with distinction, in which “hundred flowers are in bloom”. These flourishing
years have been distinguished since then as the peak of the “littérature engagée”
(engaged literature) or “literature of commitment” in Thailand.

A quarter of a century earlier the review of a famous and exceptionally popular
book of verse from the Ayutthaya period (1350-1767) caused a shock in the literary
world of Thailand. Writing in the well-respected monthly publication “Aksorn Sarn”
under a pseudonym (Indrayut), the writer Asanie Ponchanthorm not only called the

very popular court epic “Lilit Phralaw” a pornographic work, but also rejected it as a
work of art. The epic is a love story between a young married King, Phralaw, and two
beautiful princesses, who, at the end doomed to death. The review criticized and judged
this highly valued work from the perspective and in the terminology of strict socialism.

Soon after this and in the following years from 1949 to 1952, the same publication
printed numerous other articles in which Indrayut subjected traditional works of

literature and many classical epics (Khun Chang Khun Paen and Phra Apaimanee,
for example) to a harsh criticism from a socialist standpoint. The main objection was
that such old literature is aimed solely at the worship of a defined upper class and
therefore served only royalty and the nobility. Indrayut, on the other hand, as well as
other literary critics later on, demanded that authors should only write for the people.
With that they started an era of fierce discussion that also quickly expanded to the

argument between “poesie pure” and “art for life” that originated from the West.

This new source of literary criticism together with the foundation of a writers’
association in January 1950 led to a lively exchange of opinions about literature, in
which for the first time arguments from a Western aesthetic also played a role.
The writers’ association by no means included only “progressive” authors, but also
many others who were politically neutral or who recognized more traditional literature.
This led to different literary proclamations that dealt intensively with questions about

the nature of literature and its function in society. The introduction of the concept
“littérature engagée” in Thailand is generally attributed to this literary movement in
the years 1949 to 1952 (Chantimathorn, 1982; Satchapan, 1998). Although during
this period entertainment literature dominated the book market and drew the largest

number of readers, the increase in “progressive” literature cannot be overlooked.

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