''Four Reigns'' ( th, สี่แผ่นดิน, ) is a

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 ...

historical novel by

Kukrit Pramoj Mom Rajawongse Kukrit Pramoj ( th, คึกฤทธิ์ ปราโมช, , ; 20 April 1911 – 9 October 1995) was a Thai politician, scholar and professor. He was Speaker of the House of Representatives of Thailand 1973–1974. He was t ...

. First serialized in the ''

Siam Rath ''Siam Rath'' ( th, สยามรัฐ, , ; lit.: 'Siamese State') is a Thai newspaper founded on 25 June 1950. It was one of the most politically influential newspapers during the latter half of the twentieth century, and was closely associat ...

'' newspaper from 1951 to 1952 and published in book form in 1953, the novel follows the life of Phloi (), a girl from a noble family who is brought to live in the royal court. As she grows up and lives her life through the reigns of kings

Rama V Chulalongkorn ( th, จุฬาลงกรณ์, 20 September 1853 – 23 October 1910) was the fifth monarch of Siam under the House of Chakri, titled Rama V. He was known to the Siamese of his time as ''Phra Phuttha Chao Luang'' (พร� ...

Rama VIII Ananda Mahidol ( th, พระบาทสมเด็จพระปรเมนทรมหาอานันทมหิดล; ; 20 September 1925 – 9 June 1946), posthumous reigning title Phra Athamaramathibodin ( th, พระอั� ...

(1868–1946), she witnesses the social and political changes in the country leading to and following the abolishment of absolute monarchy in 1932. It is one of the most influential Thai novels, widely regarded as a classic and described by the Encyclopaedia Britannica as "probably the best-selling Thai novel of all time." ''Four Reigns'' offers a nostalgic view on the monarchy and aristocracy, contrasting what it paints as former glory days to the struggles Phloi faces following the political upheaval.

References

Thai novels Novels set in Thailand 1953 novels Works by Kukrit Pramoj History of Thailand in fiction {{1950s-hist-novel-stub