Vipas's tale of modern alienation 'Dwarf' wins SEAWrite
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Vipas Srithong, author of "Khon Khrae" (Dwarf), yesterday won this year's Southeast Asian Write Award for reflecting human relationships and the sense of loneliness experienced by people in contemporary society.
The novel also brought into focus the lack of awareness of the value of human beings, as people tend to be obsessed with their own business.
The work, the SEAWrite committee said, also reveals the indifference of people towards the plight of others. Yet they long for human relations that have been barred by various factors. The characters also display how people justify whatever actions they have committed, even if they may not be justifiable.
The awards committee said the plot line, which progresses slowly, is nevertheless forceful and encourages readers to imagine different interpretations of what happened in the story. The plot is also complex and challenges social norms.
The book stimulates readers into exploring humanity in today’s society while raising questions about people’s conscience and sense of responsibility and the meaning of life, they said.
At the press conference at a Bangkok hotel, reporters asked about the rejection of a short story by Vipas nominated a few years ago after it was found that it allegedly duplicated a foreign story.
A judge, Asst Prof Sakun Bunyathat, said the seven judges this year concentrated solely on Vipas’ present composition.
“The committee’s judgement and criteria used in the selection have been based on his work this year,” he said.
