Pongpol Adireksarn, author of the “พ่อ” (Por) trilogy, which translates as Father, will be at the Praphasarn Publisher booth to sign the first 100 sets of the long awaited third book in the series together with the first two, which will be on sale with many of his other publications in Thai and English, the latter which he writes under the pen name, Paul Adirek.
Pongpol published the first of the Por trilogy in 2000, the second in 2002, but because of commitments, being “busy with politics, family business and producing and hosting television documentaries on UNESCO world heritage sites,” he could not find the time to finish the third until the end of last year.
Por tells the story of three kings, one Burmese who ruled over the Hongsawee kingdom and two Thai, when they reigned over the kingdom of Ayutthaya more than 400 years ago. It tells how their lives were intertwined as they continually fought wars against each other and trained their sons to succeed them. It then narrates the life and wars of one of the most revered monarchs of Siam, King Naresuen the Great, the son and grandson of the two Thai kings as well as protégé of the Burmese ruler.
Pongpol explained that one of his greatest challenges was getting the facts right. He said the records, both Thai and Burmese, are not totally accurate and there is no way to verify them. “I don’t intend to change or argue against history. We know the beginning and ending of the events. I just created stories to fill in the unknown or little-known stories about the events and people involved.”
As Por traces the relationships between fathers and sons, Pongpol dedicated these books to all fathers who have a son. The 47th National Book Fair and 17th Bangkok International Book Fair 2019 will open on March 28, 2019 at 12.00 noon. It will be open daily, 10.00 am – 9.00 pm, until April 7, 2019. If you cannot make it to the book signing, you should still not miss this annual gala event and be sure to visit the Praphasarn Publisher booth 027 located on the lower level in Zone C.
