Kulap Saipradit ( th, กุหลาบ สายประดิษฐ์; 31 March 1905 – 16 June 1974), better known by the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name. A pen na ...

Siburapha ( th, link=no, ศรีบูรพา; also romanized as Sriburapha or Sri Burapha), was a newspaper editor and one of the foremost Thai

novelist A novelist is an author or writer of novels, though often novelists also write in other genres of both fiction and non-fiction. Some novelists are professional novelists, thus make a living wage, living writing novels and other fiction, while othe ...

s of his time. He was a vocal activist for human rights and because of this, he ran afoul of the authorities and was jailed for more than four years. He spent the last 16 years of his life in exile in China.

Biography

Education and early career

Born in

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populatio ...

, Kulap studied at Debsirin, a school for students from wealthier families. Kulap himself did not come from a wealthy family. His father died when he was very young, and his mother, a dressmaker, and sister, a classical dancer, worked hard to fund his education. In 1928, he wrote three novels. Two of them, ''A Real Man'' (''Luk Phu Chai'') and ''The War of Life'' (''Songkram Chiwit''), stood out. By 1929, Kulap had gathered his friends into a publishing group known as Suphapburut ("The Gentlemen"). Under Kulap's leadership, the group went into journalism. In 1934, Kulap spent three months in retreat as a

bhikkhu A ''bhikkhu'' (Pali: भिक्खु, Sanskrit: भिक्षु, ''bhikṣu'') is an ordained male in Buddhist monasticism. Male and female monastics (" nun", '' bhikkhunī'', Sanskrit ''bhikṣuṇī'') are members of the Sangha (Buddhi ...

(Buddhist monk). He wrote a religious novel, ''Facing Sin'' (''Phajon Barb''). The following year, he married

Chanid Priyacharnkun The milkfish (''Chanos chanos'') is the sole living species in the family Chanidae. However, there are at least five extinct genera from the Cretaceous. The repeating scientific name (tautonym) is from Greek ( ‘mouth’). The species has man ...

. She later became the translator of three of Jane Austen's novels under the pen name "Juliet", and helped him to translate ''Pool'' by

W. Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

as well as

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career a ...

's ''In Exile'' and

Maxim Gorky Alexei Maximovich Peshkov (russian: link=no, Алексе́й Макси́мович Пешко́в; – 18 June 1936), popularly known as Maxim Gorky (russian: Макси́м Го́рький, link=no), was a Russian writer and social ...

's ''Mother''. In early 1936, Kulap was forced to resign from his work as a journalist. Late that year, he went to study in Japan, and upon his return, he wrote ''The Jungle of Life'' (''Pa Nai Chiwit''), and his romantic masterpiece ''

Behind the Painting ''Khang Lang Phap'' ( th, ข้างหลังภาพ), translated into English as ''Behind the Painting'', is a Thai romantic novel by Kulap Saipradit (writing under the pen name Siburapha), published in 1937. It tells the story of Nopphon ...

'' (''Khang Lang Phap''). Both stories were serialised in 1937. ''Behind the Painting'' was adapted as a film twice, in 1985 by director Piak Poster and in 2001 by director

Cherd Songsri Cherd Songsri (Thai: เชิด ทรงศรี, September 20, 1931 – May 21, 2006) was a Thai film director, screenwriter and film producer. A maker of period films that sought to introduce international audiences to his vision of Thai cul ...

. In 1939, Kulap began writing journalistic articles again. He and his group restarted Suphapburut, which had been closed earlier. In 1944 and 1945, Kulap was elected president of the Thai Newspaper Association. In late 1947, he and his wife Chanid left Thailand for two years, and travelled to Australia where he studied

political science Political science is the scientific study of politics. It is a social science dealing with systems of governance and power, and the analysis of political activities, political thought, political behavior, and associated constitutions and ...

. On his return, he started a publishing house to publish his own works and those of his friends' in cheap editions. He also wrote several books, including ''Till We Meet Again'' (''Chon Kwa Rao Cha Phop Kan Ik'').

Jailed, exile

In 1951, during the second premiership of dictatorial Field Marshal

Plaek Phibunsongkhram Field Marshal Plaek Phibunsongkhram ( th, แปลก พิบูลสงคราม ; alternatively transcribed as ''Pibulsongkram'' or ''Pibulsonggram''; 14 July 1897 – 11 June 1964), locally known as Marshal P. ( th, จอมพล � ...

, Kulap set up the Peace Foundation of Thailand. The following year, he protested against the

Korean War {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Korean War , partof = the Cold War and the Korean conflict , image = Korean War Montage 2.png , image_size = 300px , caption = Clockwise from top: ...

. He also demanded the lifting of press

censorship Censorship is the suppression of speech, public communication, or other information. This may be done on the basis that such material is considered objectionable, harmful, sensitive, or "inconvenient". Censorship can be conducted by governments ...

. When he went to distribute food and blankets to the needy in

Isan Northeast Thailand or Isan ( Isan/ th, อีสาน, ; lo, ອີສານ; also written as Isaan, Isarn, Issarn, Issan, Esan, or Esarn; from Pali ''īsānna'' or Sanskrit ईशान्य ''īśānya'' "northeast") consists of 20 provi ...

, he was among more than one hundred "agitators" arrested on 10 November 1952. Accused of treason and sentenced to about 14 years in jail, he was freed in February 1957 to celebrate the advent of the 25th Buddhist century. During his years in jail, Kulap wrote the first two volumes of an unfinished trilogy ''Looking Ahead'' (''Lae Pai Khang Na''). In 1958, Kulap headed a delegation of writers to China. While he was attending an Afro-Asian Writers' Conference in

Tashkent Tashkent (, uz, Toshkent, Тошкент/, ) (from russian: Ташкент), or Toshkent (; ), also historically known as Chach is the capital and largest city of Uzbekistan. It is the most populous city in Central Asia, with a population of ...

, there was a coup in Thailand and all members of Kulap's delegation were arrested and jailed on their return. Faced with the same fate, Kulap chose to remain in China where he led the life of a "democratic personality" in exile. He lectured on

Thai literature 300px, ''Samut Thai'', a traditional medium for recordation and transmission of Thai and other literature in mainland Southeast Asia Thai literature is the literature of the Thai people, almost exclusively written in the Thai language (althou ...

Peking University Peking University (PKU; ) is a public research university in Beijing, China. The university is funded by the Ministry of Education. Peking University was established as the Imperial University of Peking in 1898 when it received its royal charte ...

. He also contributed to the Afro-Asian Solidarity Front's cultural activities and to the Thai service of China's broadcasting radio. He died in China of complications resulting from

pleurisy Pleurisy, also known as pleuritis, is inflammation of the membranes that surround the lungs and line the chest cavity ( pleurae). This can result in a sharp chest pain while breathing. Occasionally the pain may be a constant dull ache. Other s ...

on 16 June 1974. Kulap's son, Surapan, was married to Wanee, the daughter of

Pridi Banomyong Pridi Banomyong ( th, ปรีดี พนมยงค์, , ; 11 May 1900 – 2 May 1983), also known by his noble title Luang Praditmanutham ( th, หลวงประดิษฐ์มนูธรรม) was a Thai politician and professo ...

and

Poonsuk Banomyong Than Phu Ying Poonsuk Banomyong ( th, พูนศุข พนมยงค์; ; January 2, 1913 – May 12, 2007) was the wife of former Thai Prime Minister Pridi Banomyong. In November 1952 Poonsuk was arrested on charges of subversion under t ...

. Kulap's 100th Centenary Celebration, organised by the Thai Writers' Association and the Thai National Commission for

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

, was held in Bangkok from 14 to 15 December 2005. Kulap's wife, Chanid, died on 15 June 2010. The following year, on 28 July, Surapan Saipradit died from cancer at the age of 72.

Legacy

The

Sriburapha Award {{unreferenced, date=September 2017 The Sriburapha Award is a Thai award, established in 1988 in honor of Kulap Saipradit, whose pen name was Sriburapha ( th, ศรีบูรพา). The award recognizes excellence in journalism, writing, and/or ...

, an annual award given for excellence in writing, journalism, and the arts, is named in his honor.

Partial list of works

Novels * ''Chao Hua Chai'' (จ้าวหัวใจ; 1924) * ''Khom Sawat Bat Chit'' (คมสวาทบาดจิต; 1924) * ''Luk Phu Chai'' (ลูกผู้ชาย; 1928) * ''Prap Phayot'' (ปราบพยศ; 1928) * ''Man Manut'' (มารมนุษย์; 1928) * ''Lok Sanniwat'' (โลกสันนิวาส; 1928) * ''Hua Chai Pratthana'' (หัวใจปรารถนา; 1928) * ''Amnat Chai'' (อำนาจใจ; 1930) * ''Saen Rak Saen Khaen'' (แสนรักแสนแค้น; 1930) * ''Songkhram Chiwit'' (สงครามชีวิต; 1932; based on Dostoyevsky's ''Бедные люди'' 'Poor Folk'' * ''Phachon Bap'' (ผจญบาป; 1934) * ''Sing Thi Chiwit Tongkan'' (สิ่งที่ชีวิตต้องการ; serialized 1935, compiled 1939) * ''Khang Lang Phap'' (ข้างหลังภาพ; 1937) ** Translated as ''Behind the Painting'' by David Smyth in 1990
Review by Tony Waters at Ethnography.com
* ''Pa Nai Chiwit' (ป่าในชีวิต; serialized 1937-1938, compiled 1988) * ''Chon Kwa Rao Cha Phop Kan Ik'' (จนกว่าเราจะพบกันอีก; 1950) * ''Lae Pai Khang Na'' (แลไปข้างหน้า; two volumes, 1955 and 1957, first published together in 1975) Collected short stories * ''Kham Khan Rap'' (คำขานรับ) * ''Kho Raeng Noi Thoe'' (ขอแรงหน่อยเถอะ) Poetry * ''Atchayakon Phu Ploi Nok Phirap'' (อาชญากรผู้ปล่อยนกพิราบ) * ''Phalang Prachachon'' (พลังประชาชน) Non-fiction * ''Khaphachao Dai Hen Ma'' (ข้าพเจ้าได้เห็นมา; 1931) * ''Kan Mueang Khong Prachachon'' (การเมืองของประชาชน; 1957, under the pen name ''Itsarachon'' ��ิสสรชน * ''Pai Sahaphap Sowiat'' (ไปสหภาพโซเวียต; 1958) * ''Manutsayaphap'' (มนุษยภาพ) * ''Bueang Lang Kan Patiwat 2475'' (เบื้องหลังการปฏิวัติ ๒๔๗๕) * ''Du Nak Sueksa Mo Tho Ko Duay Waen Khao'' (ดูนักศึกษา ม.ธ.ก. ด้วยแว่นขาว) Translations * ''Pool'' by

Somerset Maugham William Somerset Maugham ( ; 25 January 1874 – 16 December 1965) was an English writer, known for his plays, novels and short stories. Born in Paris, where he spent his first ten years, Maugham was schooled in England and went to a German un ...

, translated as ''Sa Sawat'' (สระสวาท) * ''In Exile'' by

, translated as ''Khao Thuk Bangkhap Hai Pen Khun Chon'' (เขาถูกบังคับให้เป็นขุนโจร) * ''Mother'' by

, translated as ''Mae'' (แม่)

Biography

Education and early career

Jailed, exile

Legacy

Partial list of works

References

Further reading