This companion volume to the translation of The Tale of Khun Chang Khun Phaen includes alternative chapters and extensions, Prince Damrong's prefaces and reference lists of Thai terms
Chris Baker formerly taught Asian history at Cambridge University and has lived in Thailand for over thirty years. Pasuk Phongpaichit is professor of economics at Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok. Together they have written several books including Thailand: Economy and Politics, A History of Thailand, and Thaksin.
"Thailand's only wholly homegrown literary classic is, in Western terms, a dozen Shakespeare plays rolled into one, with a rich vein of Arthurian romance to boot. Khun Chang Khun Phaen entails comedy, tragedy, love, sex, war, magic, honour, infamy, gallantry, and treachery. And that, as untold millions of Thais have seen in the course of nearly four centuries, is entertainment." The Nation "Baker and Pasuk have combed through every possible existing version of the classic tale in Thai and provided an impressive array of alternative versions to the standard text edited by Prince Damrong in 1917-18. Their afterword offers a critical comprehensive look at the unique history of KCKP, how it evolved from the oral tradition circulated among commoners to become one of the greatest works espoused by the Siamese court, and also at the context of Thai literature and the social and geopolitical landscapes key to understanding the saga." Bangkok Post
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