Khun Chang and Khun Phaen take a bow
The translation of the famous Thai classic wins a prestigious award for its authors
The English translation of the tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen by Chris Baker and Pasuk Phongpaichit has won the Becker Prize awarded by the Association of Asian Studies. The award was announced at the Association’s annual conference last week in San Diego, California.
The annual prize, named after a famous translator of Indonesian literature, is awarded for an outstanding translation of Southeast Asian literature. This is the first time the prize has been awarded in open competition.
The prize citation calls the translation “a tour de force. It arguably represents the greatest achievement to date in the field of Southeast literary translation, providing access in English to a well-known but otherwise esoteric traditional verse text, which even native Thai speakers find inaccessible.... Rendering this linguistically complex literary work into English has not simply been an act of mechanical translation but rather a 7-year-long project of intellectual rigour based on historical and linguistic research. The result is an invaluable contribution to out knowledge of traditional Siamese literature. Not to mention, a gripping read.”
The translation, published by Silkworm Books, Chiang Mai in 2010, is based on the standard “Library Edition” edited by Prince Damrong Rachanubhab, but also includes many passages from earlier versions.
The tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen is the most outstanding classic in the Thai language. The plot is a love story, set against a background of war, ending in high tragedy. This folk epic was first developed in oral form for popular performance with a fast-paced blend of romance, tragedy, and farce spiced with sex, warring, adventure, and the supernatural. It was later adopted by the Siamese court and written down, with two kings contributing. This first-ever translation is based on Prince Damrong’s standard edition of 1917–18, with more than 100 passages recovered from earlier versions.
This English translation is written in lively prose, fully annotation and comes complete with 400 original illustrations by Muangsing Janchai, a native of Suphan Buri and an essay on the history and background of the tale. The main volume presents the entire tale in translation. The companion volume contains alternative chapters and extensions, Prince Damrong’s prefaces, and reference lists of flora, fauna, costume, arms, and food. The volumes are available separately or as a slipcased set.
The translation is already used in courses on Southeast Asian culture and on world literature in several universities around the world.
Baker says, “It’s great to have won a prize for something that was such fun to do. Khun Chang Khun Phaen is probably the only old Thai literary work that comes from popular tradition.” Pasuk adds, “It’s a great story of love, war, rich and poor, success and tragedy, packed with many details of Thai culture that have been forgotten. We hope the prize will tempt a few more people to enjoy it.”
Pasuk is Emeritus Professor in Political Economy at Chulalongkorn University. Baker formerly taught Asian history and politics at Cambridge University, UK, and has lived in Thailand for more than 30 years. They have also translated works by King Rama V, Pridi Banomyong, the Communist Party of Thailand, Chatthip Nartsupha, Nidhi Eoseewong, and others.
