#8: Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj

[veleda-k.livejournal.com]

#8: Four Reigns by Kukrit Pramoj (Translated by Tulachandra)



Spanning decades and, as the title suggests, the reign of four different Thai kings, Four Reigns is the story of a country just as much it is a person, perhaps more so. At times it read like a history text that happened to have some fictional characters. That sounds like an insult, but it isn't meant to be so. I learned a lot about Thailand from this book.

Despite how educational I found it, I might recommend this book more strongly for a people who already have some knowledge of Thai history and culture. I think the translation by Tulachandra is very good (at least as far as I can tell), and she makes Thai concepts and words as clear as she can. However, many words are left untranslated and Tulachandra doesn't explain every unfamiliar concept. I approve of this, because I think it keeps the integrity of the text, but I think I would have gotten more from the book with additional background knowledge.

The main character, Phloi, is (for me) the weakest part of the book. I think a lot of this can be attributed to cultural differences. I imagine that the reception of her character in 1950s Thailand was probably different than my feelings here and now. Phloi is meek, humble, modest, obedient, and sweet. None of these are bad things to be, but altogether they make Phloi a very passive character. Things happen to her and around her, but she very rarely causes anything to happen. I found most of the secondary characters more interesting. Plus, I got the feeling that Pramoj was trying to make Phloi as perfect as possible, and characters with any flaws are rarely the best characters.

Despite my complaints I found the book engaging enough. The writing style is clear and uncomplicated, but not overly simplistic. An all right book.