Khun Chang, Khun Phaen is one of the classics of Thai literature. It was written in verse during the reign of Rama II for sepha recitation (a method of solo recitation in which emotion is conveyed by changes in voice quality). Several different authors, each of whom was allocated various scenes, were involved in its composition, including the famous poet Sunthon Phu. The story is believed to have been based on fact.
It tells of two men, the villain Khun Chang and the hero Khun Phaen, who had been childhood friends but later become bitter rivals for the love of Wan Thong. Wan Thong at different stages of the plot marries both her suitors, but when called upon to choose between them, is unable to do so and is therefore condemned to death. Many of the convoluted twists in the plot are engineered by the protagonists' use of sorcery, while the work is also renowned for its use of images from nature in flimsily disguised passages of erotic description. A prose translation into English by H. H. Prince Prem Purachatra (Prem Chaya), The Story of Khun Chang, Khun Phaen, provides a good retelling of the story but conveys little of the aesthetic qualities for which Thais admire the work.
This is the complete article, containing 212 words
(approx. 1 page at 300 words per page).
