Suchart Sawatsi (; born June 24, 1945) is a Thai editor and writer. He has been described as "the single most influential figure in the contemporary Thai literary world". The son of Sae Sawatsi, a doctor in the Thai army medical corps, he was born in Tha Ruea District,

Ayutthaya province Phra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya, or locally and simply Ayutthaya (historically Juthia or Judia), is one of the central provinces (''changwat'') of Thailand. Neighboring provinces are (from north clockwise) Ang Thong, Lopburi, Saraburi, Pathum Than ...

. At the end of

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, his parents returned to

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, 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 estim ...

and he received his primary and secondary school education at Wat Don Muang. Sawatsi went on to study history at

Thammasat University Thammasat University (TU; ; , ) is a public university, public research university in Thailand with campuses in the Tha Phra Chan area of Bangkok, Rangsit, Pattaya and Lampang Province. , Thammasat University has over 39,000 students enrolled in ...

. After graduating in 1966, he taught history and geography at a private school for a short time. He was then able to secure a position as assistant to Sulak Sivaraksa, editor of the literary journal ''Sangkhomsat Parithat''. When Sivaraksa left two years later, Sawatsi became editor. Under his editorship, the journal became more active politically, often criticizing the government. In 1977, when a new military regime took power, he was removed from the post of editor after the journal was brought back to a purely academic orientation. A number of stories by Sawatsi appeared in ''Sangkhomsat Parithat''. In 1972, these stories were published as ''Khwam Ngiap'' (Silence). In 1977, he became editor of a new literary journal ''Lok Nangsu’''. That publication was not profitable and ceased publication in 1984. He next was editor for ''Ban Mai Ru Roi'' and ''Samoso’n Thanon Nangsu’''. In 1989, he was co-founder of the literary group Samnak Chang Wannakam, which published a quarterly short story magazine ''Cho’ Karaket'' until 2000. In 1997, he received the

Sriburapha Award The Sriburapha Award is a Thai award, established in 1988 in honor of Kulap Saipradit, whose pen name was Sriburapha ({{langx, th, ศรีบูรพา). The award recognizes excellence in journalism, writing, and/or the arts. It is presented ...

and, in 2005, the Pittisin Prize. He married Thai writer Wanna Thappanon, who uses the

pen name A pen name or nom-de-plume 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 name may be used to make the author's na ...

Sidaoruang. The Thai Ministry of Culture honoured him as the

national artist National Artist is an honorary title issued by some states as the highest recognition of artists for their significant contributions to the cultural heritage of the nation. An equivalent title, People's Artist, has been known in countries of the ...

in 2011 and removed him from the post in 2021 after he criticized the government of General

Prayut Chan-o-cha Prayut Chan-o-cha (sometimes spelled Prayuth Chan-ocha; , ; born 21 March 1954) is a former Thai politician, army officer and dictator who became the 29th prime minister of Thailand after seizing power in the 2014 Thai coup d'état, 2014 coup ...

for its poor response to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sawatsi, Suchart 1945 births Living people Thai editors Suchart Sawatsi Suchart Sawatsi Suchart Sawatsi