Isan Writers, Thai Literature: Writing and Regionalism in Modern Thailand

Martin B. Platt

Regional characteristics and regional language feature prominently in discussions of Thai identity, but there is little mention of regional literatures. In northeastern Thailand's Isan region, authors arite primarily in Thai, but it is possible nonetheless to identify an Isan literature, which played a significant and at times pivotal role in the development of Thai literature in the second half of the 20th century, as authors grappled with how their origins and experiences related to the Thai centre. Martin Platt's account of Isan literature is an important first step toward a broader study of regional literatures in Thailand, and shapes a model that has relevance for examining literary works in other Asian countries.

Martin B. PLATT is an Associate Professor in the Department of Cross-Cultural and Regional Studies at the University of Copenhagen.

publication year: 2013
280 pages
ISBN: 978-9971-69-697-9  Paperback  US$36.00  S$42.00

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