The SEA Write Award committee announced this year’s six finalists for Southeast Asia’s most prestigious literary prize last Thursday. The category for this year, the 35th edition, is “Short Story”.
SEA Write Finalists 2014.
The selected six collections were made from the total of 77 works. Those who have contributed are from all over the country, ranging from established writers represented by publications to self-published new faces.
“Hundreds of short stories in these works are like a mirror reflecting society in many aspects,” the committee statement said. “Put together, we see an overall picture of Thai society, the old problems which have persisted and the new ones which have sprung up.”
Uthis Haemamool and Jadet Kamjorndet are in for the chance to win the award for the second time. Uthis first won the award in 2009 for his novel Laplae, Kaeng Khoi while Jadet’s short stories collection Daed Chao Ron Kern Kwa Ja Nang Jib Kafae (The Morning Sun Is Too Hot To Sit Outside And Sip Coffee) first won him the title in 2011.
The winner will be announced in September.
The six short story collections are as follows (with unofficial English titles):
- Malacca Mai Mee Talay (Malacca Has No Sea) by Jadet Kamjorndet
- Rueng Phom Lao (The Stories I Tell) by Jamlong Fangcholjit
- Saman Samun (Commonly Vicious) by Uthis Haemamool
- Seu Kin Khon (Man-Eating Tiger) by Sakorn Poolsuk
- Ying-Sao And Other Stories by Kla Samutwanich
- Asorapit And Other Stories (Venom And Other Stories) by Dan-arun Saengthong
