Mrs. Edith Clampton was a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...

ous writer to the "Post Bag" (the letters to the editor section) of the

Thai Thai or THAI may refer to: * Of or from Thailand, a country in Southeast Asia ** Thai people, the dominant ethnic group of Thailand ** Thai language, a Tai-Kadai language spoken mainly in and around Thailand *** Thai script *** Thai (Unicode block ...

English newspaper, the ''

Bangkok Post The ''Bangkok Post'' is an English-language daily newspaper published in Bangkok, Thailand. It is published in broadsheet and digital formats. The first issue was sold on 1 August 1946. It had four pages and cost one baht, a considerable amount ...

''. Because of her frequent, comedically opinionated and often bizarre letters she came to be identified with the paper's letters page. She first appeared in the early 1990s and continued contributing on a casual basis until 1996. She was portrayed as an upper-class conservative

expatriate An expatriate (often shortened to expat) is a person who resides outside their native country. In common usage, the term often refers to educated professionals, skilled workers, or artists taking positions outside their home country, either ...

of uncertain nationality, with two servants: her maid "Khun Hazel" and her driver "Khun Parker". Her regular appearances kept Post Bag pages topical and controversial. A collection of her letters and replies was published by the newspaper in 1996. Although the editorial staff of the newspaper were made aware of the true identity of Clampton so that they could avoid publishing any forgeries, the creator of the

pen name A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, 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 na ...

remains a secret.

External links

''Bangkok Post'' "educational services"
page explaining how to write letters to the editor – citing Edith Clampton as an example.
The Legendary Edith Clampton''Bangkok Post'' "Opinion"
Columnist Roger Crutchley on the disappearance of Edith Clampton. {{DEFAULTSORT:Clampton, Edith Women letter writers Mass media in Thailand Anonymity pseudonyms 20th-century letter writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers

See also

Further reading

External links