The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen: Siam's Great Folk Epic of Love and War: 2-Volume Set - Brossura

Brossura

ISBN 10: 6162150453 ISBN 13: 9786162150456

Casa editrice: Silkworm Books, 2012

Riassunto

Siam's folk epic of love, war, and tragedy

Khun Chang Khun Phaen is one of the most famous works of old Thai literature. The plot is a love story, set against a background of war, and ending in high tragedy. This folk epic was first developed in oral form for popular performance with lashings of romance, adventure, violence, farce, and magic. 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 over a hundred passages recovered from earlier versions.

This English translation is written in lively prose, completely annotated, with over four hundred original line drawings and an afterword explaining the work’s historical background, social context, and poetic style. The first volume presents the entire poem in translation and the companion volume contains alternative chapters and extensions, Prince Damrong’s prefaces, and reference lists of Thai terms. The volumes are available separately or as a slipcased set.

According to the leading Thai linguist William Gedney, "If all other information on traditional Thai culture were to be lost, the whole complex could be reconstructed from this marvelous text."

Su questo libro

Recensione:

"Thailand's only wholly home-grown literary classic is, in Western terms, a dozen Shakespeare plays rolled into one, with a rich vein of Arthurian romance to boot. [It] entails comedy, tragedy, love, sex, war, magic, honor, infamy, gallantry, and treachery. And that, as untold millions of Thais have seen in the course of nearly four centuries, is entertainment." --The Nation

L'autore:

Chris Baker formerly taught Asian history at Cambridge University and has lived in Thailand for over thirty years. Pasuk Phongpaichit is professor of economics at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Together they have written several books including Thailand: Economy and Politics, A History of Thailand, and Thaksin. The illustrator, Muangsing Janchai, is trained in Thai painting and has executed mural paintings in several temples. He is a native of Suphanburi, Thailand.

Su questa edizione

• Editore: Silkworm Books
• Data di pubblicazione: 2012
• ISBN 10: 6162150453
• ISBN 13: 9786162150456
• Rilegatura: Copertina flessibile
• Numero di pagine: 984
• Redattore: Phongpaichit Pasuk
• Disegnatore: Janchai Muangsing