Allow me to be very personal this time. This month marks the 96th birth anniversary of a great yet humble writer, one I strongly identify with. Even though he passed away 38 years ago, Por Intalapalit's name still comes up when people in my circle discuss the great writers of older days.
His "Sam Kler" ("The Three Buddies") comedy series was for decades the most widely read books.
We would read his work while sad, depressed, even afraid, and it would give us hope, happiness and a positive outlook on all the troubles in the world. Por gave so much but gained so little. And ironically, he labelled himself as being among the lowest ranks of writers, claiming he was no more than a cheap pulp-fiction writer of tear-jerker novels.
Calling himself a "10 satang" writer (in reference to the cover price of the cheap novels of his day), Por did not socialise with other writers, for he believed he was too low class, writing merely to earn a living.
He measured his work in quantity while overlooking his amazing quality. By the time he died, he had penned more than 1,000 books in the "Sam Kler" series. His son Ruetai recalled that at one time, Por would have to write 20 pages a day to meet his deadline.
But little did Por realise that his work created much more of an impact than he could ever have imagined. "Sam Kler" still sells today. His fans, young and old alike, share an inclination to read his many titles over and over again tirelessly.
Countless young readers have been inspired by Por's writing, among them veteran Thai Rath newspaper columnist Zoom (Somchai Krusuansombat). He started reading Por when he was 12 years old.
Myself, I grew up reading the series, especially during school breaks and before Japanese comic books became available. We loved the three main characters: Phol, Nikhorn and Kim-nguen. These three buddies - later four, with the arrival of the scientist Dr Direk - were cleverly, humourlessly and consistently portrayed.
The four buddies experienced all the adventure a man could ask for. They would fly jet fighters into war. They would fight in a boxing championship. They would hide in a harem and make passionate love to the sultan's girls behind his back. Disguise themselves as servants in a mansion whose owners have the most beautiful daughters. Fight monsters deep in the forest. Find themselves in mysterious jungles governed by and populated with only women. Go to heaven. To hell. Play in a major soccer tournament. Become invisible and have all kinds of fun. Battle ghosts. Etc, etc.
Despite the wide variety of story content, each of the "Sam Kler" books would have the identical immediate effect: it made you laugh.
The series' gags and humour attracted readers of all ages, who unwittingly absorbed the essence of the stories. No wonder writer-journalist Isra Amantakul praised Por as the driving force behind the Thai publishing industry at that time. "He awakened in young people a desire to read," said Isra.
No writer in the 1960s and 1970s ever agreed with Por's own ardent conviction of the cheapness of his novels. He even coined a word through one of his "Sam Kler" characters, "choey", which has since become widely used to mean "old-fashioned".
Despite its entertaining style, the "Sam Kler" series carried two main themes: patriotism and compassion. The three buddies plus Dr Direk always became entangled in the key military events of the day.
Por's compassion was reflected throughout his stories. The buddies had a lot of sympathy for poor people. Kim-nguen was accepted as a friend of Phol and Nikorn only after the two made the millionaire promise to have some compassion for the poor. "It is particularly noteworthy that the characters in the series, despite their wealth, do not like arrogant rich people," said columnist Zoom.
Perhaps because of the writer's own poor, humble background, the buddies, despite their wealth, maintained a simple lifestyle. Yes, they lived in mansions with lots of servants, but apart from that, they were quite down to earth. They did many things that rich people would never have done in real life, which some critics attributed to the writer being unfamiliar with the lives of the rich.
For Por, he simply did his duty as a writer. He was sincere in his work, and his modest way of thinking led him to great stories and characters, with no intention to educate or promote any specific values. He died believing he was a low-class writer, but to his admirers and friends, he was by all means a champion. Veteran writer Arjin Panjapan said he reserved only one title for Por: "A genuine people's writer".
And if I had to pinpoint what it was he lacked that made him succeed financially, it would have to be arrogance. But then again, that's why he's one writer who remains so close to my heart.
Published on May 6, 2006
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Showing posts with label book. Show all posts
Sunday, December 31, 2006
What the poll for favourite writers tells us
The Suan Dusit poll on the most popular novel writers offers few surprises. But that serves as a good reflection of Thailand's literary reality: Who can break the virtual decades-old monopoly of Thommayantee and her classic "Khoo Kam"?
The fact that Thommayantee is the most favourite writer and Sophak Suwan came in the second shows that the choices of readers have hardly changed.
According to the poll's history, the two writers - whose works have won the hearts of readers since the 1960s - have been voted among the top five authors in Thailand for many years.
Why is that? Okay, we all agree that the two authors deserve the votes but the stagnant development of readers' tastes is very suspicious. How many works by Thommayantee do we remember? What about Sophak Suwan: do we Thai readers recall most of the writer's works?
Thommayantee seems to be the name on most people's lips - especially those who are non-readers. This is because a number of her works have been repeatedly made into TV series and movies, including "Khoo Kam" and "Tawipop".
Despite the poll, we can't be positive that people actually read the books by the authors or happen to appreciate the works only after seeing Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre in the role of the Japanese soldier Kobori in "Khoo Kam".
How about Sophak Suwan? Although the name is very familiar, most people don't recall the writer's works at all. That is pretty strange and sad for all Thai writers and our literary community in general.
No, we're not going to try to pick on the poll or its 1,000 sample interviews. We know the scientific study is right but somehow the respondents' choices make us aware that we are in danger of slower-than-expected development in literature.
Our understanding of literature is also doubtful. And that's why National Artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon, who is known as a great poet, appears as a favourite writer. There are two cases: either the respondents mix up the poems with books or they pick the name of Naowarat without really appreciating his work.
The only excitement this year is the new entry Prabda Yoon who is ranked third, thanks largely to the respondents' praise of his unique writing style. The result is rather positive that there is a new development of choice and taste although we can't be sure that the respondents really admire his writing or simply come up with his name because they have heard about him via various media. Whatever the reason, we accept that there is no doubt that Prabda has revived the literature community this year but his phenomenon is exceptional. It doesn't guarantee that Thai people read more and are geared toward more quality writing.
It is intriguing that many new-generation writers did not make it to the top 10. Take two- time Seawrite Award winner Win Leowarin, for example. His award-winning work "Pracha Tippatai Bon Sen Kanan" (Democracy on a Parallel Path) has been a best-seller for the past few years. But the voters did not pick him as a favourite.
Most of the writers in the top 10 share one thing in common: they write books that are made into TV soap operas or movies. For example, Kingchat, Wor Winichaikul, and Prapatsorn Saevikul all have had their books made into TV series.
But when we think interesting, quality books can be made into TV series and movies, another question arises: why are there fewer and fewer choices that we can pick for TV or film productions?
Supon Wichienchai, a producer with Channel 3, once voiced his concern that there are few works that can be adapted into TV series, so few that producers struggle to write their own stories and cultivate a new crop of TV series writers. Supon doesn't mention it but audiences can notice that we have been watching a great many copy-cat versions of Thommayantee's "Khoo Kam" and Wor Na Pramualmak's "Baan Sai Thong".
Does TV have something to do with the slow evolution of Thailand's literature? A lot of producers nowadays don't really believe that complicated plots will attract a mass audience, and are not economically viable as well. The latest sign is when RS Promotion recently announced its ambitious plan to launch 30 tele-movies to be released on VCD and DVD this year. The company's policy is to produce simple plots that are easy to understand for most Thai audiences.
Their belief, as suggested by ratings of TV soap operas, is that complicated plots and sophisticated production values don't always win over Thai audiences.
Classic works don't die, and the enduring popularity of "Khoo Kam" is solid proof of its magical appeal. Our problem is how to create alternatives for readers, or - maybe this is the heart of the matter - how to make readers want to read them.
Published on May 10, 2003
The fact that Thommayantee is the most favourite writer and Sophak Suwan came in the second shows that the choices of readers have hardly changed.
According to the poll's history, the two writers - whose works have won the hearts of readers since the 1960s - have been voted among the top five authors in Thailand for many years.
Why is that? Okay, we all agree that the two authors deserve the votes but the stagnant development of readers' tastes is very suspicious. How many works by Thommayantee do we remember? What about Sophak Suwan: do we Thai readers recall most of the writer's works?
Thommayantee seems to be the name on most people's lips - especially those who are non-readers. This is because a number of her works have been repeatedly made into TV series and movies, including "Khoo Kam" and "Tawipop".
Despite the poll, we can't be positive that people actually read the books by the authors or happen to appreciate the works only after seeing Thongchai "Bird" McIntyre in the role of the Japanese soldier Kobori in "Khoo Kam".
How about Sophak Suwan? Although the name is very familiar, most people don't recall the writer's works at all. That is pretty strange and sad for all Thai writers and our literary community in general.
No, we're not going to try to pick on the poll or its 1,000 sample interviews. We know the scientific study is right but somehow the respondents' choices make us aware that we are in danger of slower-than-expected development in literature.
Our understanding of literature is also doubtful. And that's why National Artist Naowarat Pongpaiboon, who is known as a great poet, appears as a favourite writer. There are two cases: either the respondents mix up the poems with books or they pick the name of Naowarat without really appreciating his work.
The only excitement this year is the new entry Prabda Yoon who is ranked third, thanks largely to the respondents' praise of his unique writing style. The result is rather positive that there is a new development of choice and taste although we can't be sure that the respondents really admire his writing or simply come up with his name because they have heard about him via various media. Whatever the reason, we accept that there is no doubt that Prabda has revived the literature community this year but his phenomenon is exceptional. It doesn't guarantee that Thai people read more and are geared toward more quality writing.
It is intriguing that many new-generation writers did not make it to the top 10. Take two- time Seawrite Award winner Win Leowarin, for example. His award-winning work "Pracha Tippatai Bon Sen Kanan" (Democracy on a Parallel Path) has been a best-seller for the past few years. But the voters did not pick him as a favourite.
Most of the writers in the top 10 share one thing in common: they write books that are made into TV soap operas or movies. For example, Kingchat, Wor Winichaikul, and Prapatsorn Saevikul all have had their books made into TV series.
But when we think interesting, quality books can be made into TV series and movies, another question arises: why are there fewer and fewer choices that we can pick for TV or film productions?
Supon Wichienchai, a producer with Channel 3, once voiced his concern that there are few works that can be adapted into TV series, so few that producers struggle to write their own stories and cultivate a new crop of TV series writers. Supon doesn't mention it but audiences can notice that we have been watching a great many copy-cat versions of Thommayantee's "Khoo Kam" and Wor Na Pramualmak's "Baan Sai Thong".
Does TV have something to do with the slow evolution of Thailand's literature? A lot of producers nowadays don't really believe that complicated plots will attract a mass audience, and are not economically viable as well. The latest sign is when RS Promotion recently announced its ambitious plan to launch 30 tele-movies to be released on VCD and DVD this year. The company's policy is to produce simple plots that are easy to understand for most Thai audiences.
Their belief, as suggested by ratings of TV soap operas, is that complicated plots and sophisticated production values don't always win over Thai audiences.
Classic works don't die, and the enduring popularity of "Khoo Kam" is solid proof of its magical appeal. Our problem is how to create alternatives for readers, or - maybe this is the heart of the matter - how to make readers want to read them.
Published on May 10, 2003
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