Seksan Prasertkul ( th, เสกสรรค์ ประเสริฐกุล, born 1949) is a Thai author who was awarded the title National Artist of Thailand in 2009. Seksan became a student leader at

Thammasat University Thammasat University ( Abrv: TU th, มธ.; th, มหาวิทยาลัยธรรมศาสตร์, , ) is a public research university in Thailand with campuses in Tha Phra Chan area of Phra Nakhon District near the Grand Pala ...

and was active in the October 1973 protests against the military government of

Thanom Kittikachorn Field Marshal Thanom Kittikachorn ( th, ถนอม กิตติขจร, ; 11 August 1911 – 16 June 2004) was the leader of Thailand from 1963 to 1973, during which he staged a self-coup, until public protests which exploded into viole ...

. Seksan is the author of poetry, stories, and his autobiography, was made into a movie, '' The Moonhunter.''

Early life

Seksan is the son of a fishing-boat builder and a market vendor. He graduated from high school at Chonkanyanakul School in

Chonburi province Chonburi (, , ) is a province of Thailand (''changwat'') located in eastern Thailand. Its capital is also named Chonburi. Neighbouring provinces are (clockwise from north) Chachoengsao, Chanthaburi, and Rayong, while the Bay of Bangkok is to t ...

, and received an

AFS AFS is an initialism that may refer to: Computing * Andrew File System, a distributed networked file system ** OpenAFS, an open source implementation of the Andrew File System * Apple File Service, implementing the Apple Filing Protocol * Apple Fi ...

scholarship. He was an exchange student at a high school in the United States in 1967 and 1968. On his return to Thailand, he gained admission to Thammasat University by his high scores on the nationwide university entrance exam.

Leading up to 14 October 1973

Sulak Sivaraksa "initiated forums for students to discuss current social issues. Among those attending was Seksan", according to ''Historical Dictionary of Thailand''.

After the Thammasat University Massacre

After the 6 October 1976 Thammasat University Massacre, he took refuge with the communist insurgents in northeastern Thailand. However, he found the insurgents to be very dogmatic and not at all sympathetic to the students' democratic goals. When the Thai government offered an amnesty to those who had fled, he surrendered in 1980 and returned home. He went to the United States for graduate study and received a doctorate from

Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to ...

in 1989. He has since taught political science at Thammasat University, where he is a well known and respected figure.

Works

*''Ruedukan '' ("seasons"—short stories) *"bamboo flowers" *"coming from the mangrove forest" *''Manutsayatham Kap Kan Tosu Thang Chon Chan'' *"Song of the Water, Dance of the Clouds" *Life University *Hiking in the Wood in Search of Real Life *Wandering in Search of Fish *"Life and Writing Books" *"Stream and Crosswalk" *"Song of the Universe" *"Waves of Liberty" *"Song of the Universe" *"Stream and Crosswalk" *"Moment of Defeat" *"Man and Tiger" (short stories) *"Bubbles of Time" (short stories) *''Khon la chan: 14 Tula songkhram prachachon'' ("14 October, the people’s war") *''Bangyang thi haipai: Ruam botkhwam kieokap satpa læ thammachat'' *''Khlun seriphap: Riang khwam 7 huakho'' *''Phleng ekkaphop: Banthuk khon doenthang'' *''Phleng nam rabam mek'' *''Rudukan: Ruang san læ botkawi (Chut "ruang san Thai")''

Works translated to English

*"A bamboo bridge over rapids" (translated by

Marcel Barang Marcel may refer to: People * Marcel (given name), people with the given name Marcel * Marcel (footballer, born August 1981), Marcel Silva Andrade, Brazilian midfielder * Marcel (footballer, born November 1981), Marcel Augusto Ortolan, Brazilian ...

)A bamboo bridge over rapids
/ref>

Private

He married Chiranan Pitpreecha. She won a

SEA Write Award The S.E.A. Write Award, or Southeast Asian Writers Award, is an award that is presented annually since 1979 to poets and writers of Southeast Asia. The awards are given to the writers from each of the countries that comprise the Association of ...

in 1989. The couple has since separated.

References

External links

The chronicle of Seksan PrasertkulSeksan: Thai society is on the verge of a volcanoReaders as dopes
Seksan Prasertkul 1949 births Living people Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul Cornell University alumni Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul 20th-century male writers 21st-century male writers Seksan Prasertkul Seksan Prasertkul {{Thailand-writer-stub