Seksan Prasertkul
Seksan Prasertkul is a household name in Thailand.
At the age of 24, he was the main student leader of the
October 1973 uprising, which brought down the military regime and
ushered in three years of democratic rule.
He took to the jungle long before the bloody backlash of October 1976.
Five years later, he came down from the mountains
(described in his story "A bamboo bridge over rapids").
First published in 1988, the story is part of three volumes of
autobiographical short stories which have been local bestsellers.
Since obtaining a doctorate in political science at Cornell University, Seksan has combined an academic career (including being Dean of the Faculty of Political Science at Thammasart University) with varied interests. Besides being a noted social and literary columnist, he is a dedicated environmentalist and adept angler, translator, short-story writer and novelist. In 1985, he published an excellent novel, Khon Haa Plaa (The fisherman) unjustly disregarded by the local critics. He is married to well-known poet Jeeranan Phitpreecha; they have two sons.
Marcel Barang
Marcel Barang is the most prolific and enthusiastic translator
of Thai literature working today. French by birth, and a
long-time resident of Bangkok, Marcel trained as a language and arts
teacher. He toiled for many years as a journalist before turning
to fulltime literary translation (from Thai to both English and French) in 1993.
Barang's most ambitious project is the Thai Modern Classics series - a sensitively translated collection of the best examples of 20th century Thai literature. The series, which ranges from Arkartdamkeung Rapheephat's 1929 Circus of Life to Daenaran Saengthong's White Shadow (1994), is still underway - sadly, publication was stalled in mid-stream by the economic crisis of 1997.
His anthology The 20 Best Novels of Thailand (TMC Bangkok 1994, 492 pp, ISBN 974-89038-9-3) draws a broad picture of the Thai literary scene. It includes an excellent survey of Thai literary criticism, along with extended selections from all twenty works in the series.
For more information on Marcel Barang, including additional selections from his translated works, visit the Thai Fiction in Translation website, or contact him directly at marcelbarang@bkk.a-net.net.th