Klaus Wenk

Thai Literature — An Introduction is a study of the extensive and diverse writings that form an integral part of the Thai literary tradition. The book has been divided into tentative periods beginning with the discovery of an inscription on a stele, erected in 1292 by Ram Kamhaeng, and concluding with an overview of contemporary Thai literature.

This study does not claim to comprise all titles and dates of literary relevance, but it contains all that is essential. The author’s predilection to some poets has attributed to them greater emphasis than others, for example, Sunthon Phu for whom writing poetry was, inter alia, an act of personal liberation and artistic play. The decisive message expressed by him in his verses has given direction to the evolution of Thai poetry. Detailed descriptions of what the author considers to be typical and of peculiar interest to western readers makes this study especially fascinating and takes it beyond being a mere introduction to the subject.