Bidyalongkorn

Rajani Chamcharas, the Prince Bidyalongkorn[lower-alpha 1] (Thai: รัชนีแจ่มจรัส; RTGS: Ratchani Chaemcharat; 10 January 1877 - 23 July 1945) was a prince of Thailand. He was a member of the Thai royal family, and was a son of Prince Bowon Wichaichan,[2][3] and thus a great-grandson of Rama II. His many descendants use the Royal surname Rajani (Thai: รัชนี; RTGS: Ratchani). The Historical Dictionary of Thailand notes:

He studied at Suan Gulab and at Cambridge in England. He served in high-level administrative positions in the Ministry of Public Instruction and also the Ministry of Finance. He accompanied King Rama V (Chulalongkorn) on his first visits to Europe. Upon returning from Cambridge, in 1901, he started the magazine Lak Wittaya (Stealing Knowledge), which provided translations of Western literary works and offered the Siamese a chance to publish their literary work.[4]

Bidyalongkorn
Prince Bidyalongkorn
Born(1877-01-10)10 January 1877
Bangkok, Siam
Died23 July 1945(1945-07-23) (aged 68)
Bangkok, Thailand
SpousePhat Bunnag
Barabimalabanna Voravan
IssuePrincess Vibhavadi Rangsit
Prince Bhisadej Rajani
and nine other children
HouseRajani family (Chakri Dynasty)
FatherWichaichan
MotherLady Liam-lek
SignatureBidyalongkorn's signature

Tai linguist William J. Gedney called him "probably Thailand's most gifted man of letters of the twentieth century".[5]: 522–523  James N. Mosel, discussing Thai poetry of the early and mid 20th century, notes that:

[He] ranks as one of the greatest poets of modern times, although his first works were in fiction, where, under the pen-name of "N.M.S."[lower-alpha 2] he achieved wide popularity as a humorist. In poetry he is famous for his Konok Nakhon ("City of Gold"), a Thai adaptation of an English translation of a Sanskrit work. His magnum opus is Sam Krung ("Three Capitals"), a lengthy epic recounting the turbulent period in Thai history when Ayutthaya, Thonburi, and Bangkok successively became the Thai capital.[1]: 6 

King Rama VI (Vajiravudh), himself an accomplished author and translator, formed a literary club to promote good writing in Thailand. Bidyalongkorn, a member of the club, formulated a series of rules encouraging correct and concise language, as well as strict observance of classic Thai verse structures.[6]: 149  An innovator as well as a traditionalist, he was an influential adopter of novel meters of the chan verse type which, before 1913, had remained unchanged for centuries.[6]: 150 

Selected works
  • Vetala Tales (Thai: นิทานเวตาล; RTGS: Nithan Wetan) (1918?) — a Thai version of the Baital Pachisi, based chiefly on Richard Francis Burton's retelling
  • "The Pastime of Rhyme-Making and Singing in Rural Siam" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 20 (2): 101–127. October 1926. ISSN 0304-226X.
  • "The Buddha's Footprints" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 28 (1): 1–14. 1935. ISSN 0304-226X.
  • "Sebhā Recitation and the Story of Khun Chāng Khun Phan" (PDF). Journal of the Siam Society. 33 (1): 1–22. March 1941. ISSN 0304-226X.
  • Three Capitals (Thai: สามกรุง; RTGS: Sam Krung). Bangkok: Chaiyarit. 1952. OCLC 31593320.
  • Essays on Thai Poetry. Bangkok: Office of the National Culture Commission. 1981. OCLC 8718363.

Notes
  1. " 'Bidyalankarana' is the Indianist transliteration as preferred by the Prince himself."[1]: 47 
  2. Alternatively transcribed "No.Mo.So." or "Nor.Mor.Sor."

References
  1. Mosel, James N. (1961). Trends and Structure in Contemporary Thai Poetry: With Translations and Bibliography. Ithaca, NY: Southeast Asia Program, Dept. of Far Eastern Studies, Cornell University. OCLC 3177676.
  2. "พระบิดาแห่งการสหกรณ์ไทย".
  3. "10 ม.ค. 2419 รำลึก น.ม.ส. กวีเอกแห่งรัตนโกสินทร์". 10 January 2018.
  4. Fry, Gerald W.; Nieminen, Gayla S.; Smith, Harold E. (2013). Historical Dictionary of Thailand (3rd ed.). Plymouth, UK: Scarecrow Press. p. 62. ISBN 978-0-8108-7525-8.
  5. Gedney, William J. (1989). "Siamese Verse Forms in Historical Perspective". In Bickner, Robert J.; Hartmann, John; Hudak, Thomas John; Patcharin Peyasantiwong (eds.). Selected Papers on Comparative Tai Studies. Michigan Papers on South and Southeast Asia No 29. University of Michigan. pp. 489–544. ISBN 9780891480389.
  6. Hudak, Thomas J. (1990). The Indigenization of Pali Meters in Thai Poetry. Monographs in International Studies: Southeast Asia Series, #87. Athens, Ohio: Ohio University Center for International Studies. ISBN 0-89680-159-4.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.