Statue of Sunthorn Phu in a memorial park in Rayong
Last week we announced a competition to win a book of Thai Sayings. The question was to tell us the name of the famous Thai poet whose birthday is celebrated on June 26th. The answer is of course Sunthorn Phu. Congratulations to Makiyo from Singapore who wins a copy of this book.
Over two hundred years ago, on June 26, 1786, the wife of a humble Rayong woman, then living in Bangkok, gave birth to a baby boy. In due course, the little boy was given the name of Phu. When he grew up, his genius as a poet was quickly recognised, and he won the esteem of kings and commoners alike. Finally, after many adventures in the course of a colourful career, he attained the distinction of Poet Laureate and was created Phra Sunthorn Voharn. Today, Sunthorn Phu is accepted as one of the greatest poets Thailand ever produced, and he holds his place among the leading poets of the world.
Statues in the sea of characters from his books at Hat Puk Tian in Phetchaburi
You can see the influence of Sunthorn Phu everywhere. I have been to a number of places where I have seen statues of himself and characters from his books. The above are just two examples. Students at school also read his stories and celebrate his work. A few of his books have been translated into English and I will tell you more about these later. I think one of the important things about Sunthorn Phu today is how much he influences Thai life even though he has been dead many years.
I have written a couple of other blogs about him called How to be a Good Wife and How to be a Thai Gentleman
If you want to read a brief biography written in English by Prince Prem Purachatra, then click on "more".
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