When GRANTA asked me to write a short piece on the outcome of the 2023 general election in Thailand, I immediately thought of my late friend and colleague, Wad Rawee, or Brother Pey, as he was lovingly addressed by many of the writers of my generation.
News of Brother Pey’s death in 2022 came as a shock to the Thai literary community. He was a unique character who did almost everything that had to do with literature and publishing. He wrote fiction, poetry, book reviews and political essays. He ran a bookstore, an independent press, a literary journal. He translated foreign literature into Thai. He was a fierce pro-democracy and free speech activist who fearlessly criticized the junta during its rule since the 2014 coup d’état.
I thought about Brother Pey a lot after the general election because I was sure he would have enjoyed seeing the victory of the democratic parties. Thank you GRANTA for giving me the opportunity to share my memories of my friend, an important Thai literary figure, to the world.
Read the essay Memory of Light here.
Prabda Yoon 
Leave a comment