The Puzzle of Prisna A Meditation on Time and Translation
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Dec 1, 2021
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Abstract
he Thai novel, Prisna, recently republished in English translation, has a history stretching over nine decades and two languages. This article treats the work as a time capsule, by examining the changing meanings of the work as it travels through the decades, through the changes in the social background, and through the translation from Thai into English.
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Bunnag, S. (2021). The Puzzle of Prisna: A Meditation on Time and Translation. The Journal of the Siam Society, 109(2), 169–185. Retrieved from https://so06.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/pub_jss/article/view/252163
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ว. ณ ประมวญมารค, ปริศนา (กรุงเทพฯ : สำนักพิมพ์คลังวิทยา, ๒๔๙๔).
Prisna by Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit, 2 vols, translated by Tulachandra (Singapore: Penguin Random House SEA, 2020). Vol 1 ISBN: 9789814914154, Vol 2 ISBN: 9789814914161 (paperbacks).
This is recounted by Princess Vibhavadi in the preface to the 1970 edition (กรุงเทพฯ : สำนักพิมพ์คลังวิทยา, ๒๕๑๓).
From a talk by Princess Vibhavadi on “How I became a writer” at Wattana School on 7 December 1972; ว. ณ ประมวญมารค, เมื่อข้าพเจ้าเป็นนักประพันธ์ ประมวญเรื่องสั้น (กรุงเทพฯ : สำนักพิมพ์แพร่พิทยา, ม.ป.ป.).
Princess Vibhavadi was a prolific and very popular writer; in addition to the novels, she also wrote a detective story, radio plays, documentary articles and historical fiction. It is surprising that there is no readily available chronology listing her published works. The Thai editions to her books provide only their own publication dates, albeit with the names of various other companies that released editions, but they do not include dates.
Chancham Bunnag, under her real name, was a reader at the SEATO Literature Award (of which Suwanni Sukhonta was a recipient) and translated poems and prose for the SEA Write Award, its later incarnation.
The use of “Siam” in this article is not intended as a reactionary flourish, but rather as an indication of the changing circumstances of the 1930s and 1940s, and the confusions inherent at the dying out of an ancient system.
The name, Prisna, gently echoes the Puritan tradition of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress with its characters named Timorous, Discretion and Prudence. It might be recalled that Bunyan is read several times in Allcott’s Little Women. Such symbolism can be found in the Siamese tradition; for instance, the semi-mythological hunter named Bun, or Merit, who discovered the Buddha’s Footprint in Saraburi.
Princess Vibhavadi was born to the title “Mom Chao”, which would customarily be accompanied by “Her Serene Highness”, in English. Posthumously, for her services to the nation, she was elevated to the title of “Phra Worawongse Tue Phra Ong Chao”, a rank higher than Mom Chao, with a prefix translated as “Princess”.
A conjecture, which emerged from a conversation with Thanpuying Tasnee Boonyakupta (who was a schoolgirl at the time), is that having been part of the monarchist administration of Siam, Bidyalongkorn directly felt the political pressure of the 1930s. His daughter faced it in her own manner—in response to the militarist injunction to wear hats (a modernising initiative), she made a hat for her dog to wear on their daily walks.
Princess Vibhavadi, “How I Became a Writer”.
See the Princess’ account in both the preface to the 1970 edition and “How I Became a Writer”.
Princess Vibhavadi in the preface to the 1970 edition.
Manas Chitakasem, “Poetic Conventions and Modern Thai Poetry”, in Manas, ed., Thai Constructions of Knowledge (London: SOAS, 1991), p. 43.
Yuporn Sangtaksin, “Sam krung, wannakhadi wijan kanmueang: naew khit lae kolawithi nam seno” [Sam Krung, Political Critique: The Themes and Techniques of Presentation], MA thesis, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 1993; https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/kjss/article/view/243782/165673.
David Wyatt, Thailand: A Short History (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 2004). p. 252.
http://www.reurnthai.com/index.php?topic=1399.0
Princess Vibhavadi, “How I became a writer”.
อนุสรณ์ 20 ปี วิภาวดีรังสิต Anuson 20 pi wiphawadi rangsit [Twenty-Year Commemoration of Vibhavadi Rangsit] (Bangkok: Vibhavadi Rangsit Foundation, 1992).
Sister Marie Gemma Feeny in Anuson 20 pi.
อนุสรณ์ ๔๐ ปี วิภาวดี รังสิต พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าวิภาวดีรังสิต Anuson 40 pi phraworawongthue phra-ongjao wiphawadi rangsit [A 40 Year Commemoration of Vibhavadi Rangsit] (Vibhavadi Rangsit Foundation, 2012).
เกรส เปเรร่า Grace Pereira, “เสด็จพระองค์หญิง สมัยสงครามโลกครั้งที่ ๒” Sadet phra-ong ying samai songkhram lok khrung thi 2 [The Princess during the Second World War] in Anuson 20 pi.
He actual teacher was named Chaluay.
Grace Pereira, “The Princess during the Second World War”.
Princess Vibhavadi in the preface to the 1970 edition.
One more suggestion of the Ratanavadi/Vibhavadi identification comes with the later novel Ratanavadi, from the Prisna universe. The story follows the adventures of Tan Chai’s younger sister, in Europe after Prisna and Tan Chai’s honeymoon. Ratanavadi’s tour of Europe matches the itinerary of Vibhavadi and Prince Piyarangsit’s real life honeymoon.
100 ปีชาตกาล พระเจ้าวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าวิภาวดีรังสิต 100 pi chatkan phrajaoruangthoe phra-ongjao wiphawadi rangsit [Centenary of Vibhavadi Rangsit] (Bangkok: Vibhavadi Rangsit Foundation, 2020); ม.จ.วิภาวดี รังสิต MC Vibhavadi Rangsit, เรื่องตามเสด็จอเมริกา จดหมายถึงเพื่อนจากหม่อมเจ้าวิภาวดี รังสิต Rueang tam sadet amerika jotmai thueng phuean [The Royal Visit to the USA: Letters to a Friend] (Bangkok: Ruamsat, 1971); เสด็จพระราชดำเนินปากีสถาน สหพันธรัฐมลายา พ.ศ.2505 Sadet praratchadamnoen Pakistan sahaphanrha rachamalaya pho so 2505 [The Royal Visit to Pakistan] (reprint, Bangkok: Saengdao, 2012); her descriptions of visits to the north and south of Thailand in Anuson 20 pi.
There is nothing in the English translation to suggest it was 1938, except for the promotional blurb on the 2020 version, which seems to have been written independently of the novel.
The translation of Herodotus with illustrations is found in the funeral book of Lui Indhusophon.
MR. Kukrit Pramoj, Four Reigns (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1998), first published in 1981.
This Americanism is given to Prisna in the original, Tulachandra lends hers to Anonda. It was something she said herself in the 1950s, according to her son, Tew Bunnag.
C.K. Scott Moncrieff published his first volume of In Remembrance of Things Past in 1922, and had not completed the work on his death in 1930.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 2, p. 298.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 201.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 2, p. 123.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 138.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 200.
The Third Man, from a script by Graham Greene, directed by Carol Reed, and altered by Orson Welles, is most “Tulachandrian”. Chancham loved small, well-timed interjections, and she was prone to them if she thought she could improve upon a story. Orson Welles’ famous improvisation in The Third Man was one of her favourites.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 200.Volume 1, p 200.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 201.
In James E. Irby, Labyrinths (New York: New Directions, 1962).
Or imperfections, depending on which way it is considered. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/how-a-flawed-version-of-proust-became-a-classic-in-english
The last line of Some Like it Hot, directed by Billy Wilder in 1959.
Prisna by Princess Vibhavadi Rangsit, 2 vols, translated by Tulachandra (Singapore: Penguin Random House SEA, 2020). Vol 1 ISBN: 9789814914154, Vol 2 ISBN: 9789814914161 (paperbacks).
This is recounted by Princess Vibhavadi in the preface to the 1970 edition (กรุงเทพฯ : สำนักพิมพ์คลังวิทยา, ๒๕๑๓).
From a talk by Princess Vibhavadi on “How I became a writer” at Wattana School on 7 December 1972; ว. ณ ประมวญมารค, เมื่อข้าพเจ้าเป็นนักประพันธ์ ประมวญเรื่องสั้น (กรุงเทพฯ : สำนักพิมพ์แพร่พิทยา, ม.ป.ป.).
Princess Vibhavadi was a prolific and very popular writer; in addition to the novels, she also wrote a detective story, radio plays, documentary articles and historical fiction. It is surprising that there is no readily available chronology listing her published works. The Thai editions to her books provide only their own publication dates, albeit with the names of various other companies that released editions, but they do not include dates.
Chancham Bunnag, under her real name, was a reader at the SEATO Literature Award (of which Suwanni Sukhonta was a recipient) and translated poems and prose for the SEA Write Award, its later incarnation.
The use of “Siam” in this article is not intended as a reactionary flourish, but rather as an indication of the changing circumstances of the 1930s and 1940s, and the confusions inherent at the dying out of an ancient system.
The name, Prisna, gently echoes the Puritan tradition of John Bunyan’s The Pilgrim’s Progress with its characters named Timorous, Discretion and Prudence. It might be recalled that Bunyan is read several times in Allcott’s Little Women. Such symbolism can be found in the Siamese tradition; for instance, the semi-mythological hunter named Bun, or Merit, who discovered the Buddha’s Footprint in Saraburi.
Princess Vibhavadi was born to the title “Mom Chao”, which would customarily be accompanied by “Her Serene Highness”, in English. Posthumously, for her services to the nation, she was elevated to the title of “Phra Worawongse Tue Phra Ong Chao”, a rank higher than Mom Chao, with a prefix translated as “Princess”.
A conjecture, which emerged from a conversation with Thanpuying Tasnee Boonyakupta (who was a schoolgirl at the time), is that having been part of the monarchist administration of Siam, Bidyalongkorn directly felt the political pressure of the 1930s. His daughter faced it in her own manner—in response to the militarist injunction to wear hats (a modernising initiative), she made a hat for her dog to wear on their daily walks.
Princess Vibhavadi, “How I Became a Writer”.
See the Princess’ account in both the preface to the 1970 edition and “How I Became a Writer”.
Princess Vibhavadi in the preface to the 1970 edition.
Manas Chitakasem, “Poetic Conventions and Modern Thai Poetry”, in Manas, ed., Thai Constructions of Knowledge (London: SOAS, 1991), p. 43.
Yuporn Sangtaksin, “Sam krung, wannakhadi wijan kanmueang: naew khit lae kolawithi nam seno” [Sam Krung, Political Critique: The Themes and Techniques of Presentation], MA thesis, Kasetsart University, Bangkok, 1993; https://so04.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/kjss/article/view/243782/165673.
David Wyatt, Thailand: A Short History (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 2004). p. 252.
http://www.reurnthai.com/index.php?topic=1399.0
Princess Vibhavadi, “How I became a writer”.
อนุสรณ์ 20 ปี วิภาวดีรังสิต Anuson 20 pi wiphawadi rangsit [Twenty-Year Commemoration of Vibhavadi Rangsit] (Bangkok: Vibhavadi Rangsit Foundation, 1992).
Sister Marie Gemma Feeny in Anuson 20 pi.
อนุสรณ์ ๔๐ ปี วิภาวดี รังสิต พระวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าวิภาวดีรังสิต Anuson 40 pi phraworawongthue phra-ongjao wiphawadi rangsit [A 40 Year Commemoration of Vibhavadi Rangsit] (Vibhavadi Rangsit Foundation, 2012).
เกรส เปเรร่า Grace Pereira, “เสด็จพระองค์หญิง สมัยสงครามโลกครั้งที่ ๒” Sadet phra-ong ying samai songkhram lok khrung thi 2 [The Princess during the Second World War] in Anuson 20 pi.
He actual teacher was named Chaluay.
Grace Pereira, “The Princess during the Second World War”.
Princess Vibhavadi in the preface to the 1970 edition.
One more suggestion of the Ratanavadi/Vibhavadi identification comes with the later novel Ratanavadi, from the Prisna universe. The story follows the adventures of Tan Chai’s younger sister, in Europe after Prisna and Tan Chai’s honeymoon. Ratanavadi’s tour of Europe matches the itinerary of Vibhavadi and Prince Piyarangsit’s real life honeymoon.
100 ปีชาตกาล พระเจ้าวรวงศ์เธอ พระองค์เจ้าวิภาวดีรังสิต 100 pi chatkan phrajaoruangthoe phra-ongjao wiphawadi rangsit [Centenary of Vibhavadi Rangsit] (Bangkok: Vibhavadi Rangsit Foundation, 2020); ม.จ.วิภาวดี รังสิต MC Vibhavadi Rangsit, เรื่องตามเสด็จอเมริกา จดหมายถึงเพื่อนจากหม่อมเจ้าวิภาวดี รังสิต Rueang tam sadet amerika jotmai thueng phuean [The Royal Visit to the USA: Letters to a Friend] (Bangkok: Ruamsat, 1971); เสด็จพระราชดำเนินปากีสถาน สหพันธรัฐมลายา พ.ศ.2505 Sadet praratchadamnoen Pakistan sahaphanrha rachamalaya pho so 2505 [The Royal Visit to Pakistan] (reprint, Bangkok: Saengdao, 2012); her descriptions of visits to the north and south of Thailand in Anuson 20 pi.
There is nothing in the English translation to suggest it was 1938, except for the promotional blurb on the 2020 version, which seems to have been written independently of the novel.
The translation of Herodotus with illustrations is found in the funeral book of Lui Indhusophon.
MR. Kukrit Pramoj, Four Reigns (Chiang Mai: Silkworm Books, 1998), first published in 1981.
This Americanism is given to Prisna in the original, Tulachandra lends hers to Anonda. It was something she said herself in the 1950s, according to her son, Tew Bunnag.
C.K. Scott Moncrieff published his first volume of In Remembrance of Things Past in 1922, and had not completed the work on his death in 1930.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 2, p. 298.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 201.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 2, p. 123.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 138.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 200.
The Third Man, from a script by Graham Greene, directed by Carol Reed, and altered by Orson Welles, is most “Tulachandrian”. Chancham loved small, well-timed interjections, and she was prone to them if she thought she could improve upon a story. Orson Welles’ famous improvisation in The Third Man was one of her favourites.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 200.Volume 1, p 200.
Prisna (2020), Vol. 1, p. 201.
In James E. Irby, Labyrinths (New York: New Directions, 1962).
Or imperfections, depending on which way it is considered. https://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/how-a-flawed-version-of-proust-became-a-classic-in-english
The last line of Some Like it Hot, directed by Billy Wilder in 1959.