Satirical short stories earn prestigious writing award

Out of the seven books nominated as finalists, the SEA Write Organising Committee, which included the seven judges, unanimously voted in favour of “Family Comes First”, a book of short stories written by 37-year-old Narisapongse Rakwattananont and published by Salmon Publisher.

The judges said the reason for its triumph was that the book provoked readers into thinking about the problems embedded in the traditions of Thai-Chinese families, such as the issue of patriarchal masculinity.

The story’s characters, particularly the women, were held captive by outdated customs, and these customs, which once symbolised the warmth of the Chinese family, eventually “inflicted wounds upon family members,” they said.

They also noted that the author employed contemporary and diverse literary techniques, encompassing realism, magical realism, allegory, and especially, paratext, a style that few other authors use.

To clarify the concept of paratext, the judges explained that it involves the incorporation of elements beyond the written text within the book, adding that the book used extra components like colour and Chinese calligraphy illustrations to help explain the core story.

Narisapongse is the second youngest writer to receive the SEA Write Award, and works as a copywriter at an advertising agency.

The youngest winner is another finalist, Jidanun Lueangpiansamut, who secured the SEA Write Award with her book of short stories titled “Singto Nok Kok: in 2017, at the age of 25.

Narisapongse earlier said that his writing style was hugely influenced by the Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami.

“Family Comes First” features 11 short stories and has been translated into more than 50 languages worldwide.

The 44-year-old SEA Write Award was established to recognise prominent poets and writers from each of the 10 ASEAN countries every year.