Supa Sirisingh ( th, สุภา สิริสิงห) née Luesiri ( th, ลือศิริ), (born 13 August 1945), is a Thai author who writes under the pseudonym Botan, which translates literally from Thai as ' peony'. Her first name frequently appears as Supha. She is married to Viriya Sirisingh, a well-known publisher. Supa Sirisingh is best known for her novel, ''Letters from Thailand'' (''Chotmai Chak Muang Thai'').

Early life

The youngest daughter in her family, Sirisingh was born in the Phasi Charoen District of

Thonburi __NOTOC__ Thonburi ( th, ธนบุรี) is an area of modern Bangkok. During the era of the Kingdom of Ayutthaya, its location on the right (west) bank at the mouth of the Chao Phraya River had made it an important garrison town, which i ...

, separated from

Bangkok Bangkok, officially known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estimated populati ...

by the Chao Phraya River. Sirisingh's father was an immigrant from

southern China South China () is a geographical and cultural region that covers the southernmost part of China. Its precise meaning varies with context. A notable feature of South China in comparison to the rest of China is that most of its citizens are not n ...

, and her mother was of Chinese descent born in Thailand. She spent much of her childhood working at her parents orchard in Thonburi. Even though her father didn't believe in educating women, she managed to earn enough scholarships, the first of which she won when she was nine years old, to put herself through secondary and primary school, and then through college.

Education

Sirisingh went to the Sutham Sueksa School for her primary and lower secondary schooling. She continued her upper secondary schooling at Watthana Sueksa School, and, finally, she graduated from high school and earned her diploma at the Triam Udom Sueksa School. She went on to earn her BA and MA degrees in 1966, from

Chulalongkorn University Chulalongkorn University (CU, th, จุฬาลงกรณ์มหาวิทยาลัย, ), nicknamed Chula ( th, จุฬาฯ), is a public and autonomous research university in Bangkok, Thailand. The university was originally fo ...

in Bangkok, with a double major in English and Thai.

Career

Sirisingh first worked as a teacher before becoming a magazine editor, and then a freelance writer. In 1965, she was working as a writer for a Thai women's magazine named ''Satrisan'' when she first started using the pen name "Botan", one of many she would use throughout her career. She still works as a freelance writer and has published more than sixty novels. Many of her books have been successfully adapted for television and film.

Works

''Letters from Thailand''

Sirisingh's novel, ''Letters from Thailand'' (''Chotmai Chak Muang Thai''), was written when she was twenty-one. Susan Fulop Kepner translated the book into English thirteen years later, and it was published in Thailand. Her highly acclaimed novel, which depicts the conflict between Chinese-Thai cultures and the life of ethnic Thais, is one of the best-known English translations of a Thai literary work, and it has been translated into ten languages. The book was never formally published in the West. At the time of its writing, ''Letters from Thailand'' was considered controversial because the author refused to leave out aspects of the prevalent culture, opinions, or family matters that others would have ignored. Many Chinese-Thais as well as some native Thais found reasons to be offended by the way their cultures were depicted in the novel. The book consists of ninety-six letters, ranging from 1945 to 1967, written by a young man to his mother as he makes his way south from south China to emigrate to Thailand.

''That Woman's Name is Boonrod''

''That Woman's Name is Boonrod'' (''Phu Ying Khon Nan Chue Boonrod'') was published in Thailand in 1980. Vichit Kounavudhi (1922–1997) directed an independent film based on ''That Woman's Name is Boonrod'' in 1985. The film was featured at the Bangkok International Film Festival in 2005.

''Waewvan''

''Waewvan'' is briefly mentioned. The title does not translate to English, but like other books Sirisingh has written, it is about the plight of Thai women in the male-dominated Chinese culture.

Awards

Sirisingh received the (SEATO) literary award for ''Letters from Thailand'' in 1969, the same year it was published. Some time later, the book would become required reading in high school in an effort to promote detente between the Thai and Chinese cultures. Thirty years later, in 1999, Sirisingh was named a Thailand National Artist of the Year.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sirisingh, Supa 1947 births Living people Supa Sirisingh Supa Sirisingh Supa Sirisingh Supa Sirisingh Supa Sirisingh Supa Sirisingh Pseudonymous women writers 20th-century pseudonymous writers 21st-century pseudonymous writers