Supha Luesiri comes from a family of Chinese immigrants who recently settled in Thailand. Her pseudonym, Botan, means “peony”, a flower that, in the eyes of Thai people, symbolises China. Obtaining a scholarship while she was still very young allowed her to extend her studies beyond primary school, which she certainly could not have done otherwise, as girls in the Chinese community then only received little education. In 1969, she published her greatest work, “Jotmaï Jaak Muang Thai” (“letters from Thailand”), a novel composed of the letters that a young Chinese immigrant living in Bangkok sends to his mother who remained in China. In the background of Tan Suang U’s story, crucial themes for post-World War II Thailand emerge, such as the differences between Thai and Chinese cultures, the gradual abandonment of Chinese traditions and following of Thai customs by second-generation children. Despite an initial rather cold reception, the book met with great success after the SEATO awarded her its annual literary prize. She works for the magazines Satri Sarn and Chaiyapruek. In this publishing milieu, she met Viriya Sirisingh (or Sirisingha). They married in 1975 and founded a publishing house for children, Chomrom Dek (“the children’s club”). Botan’s works – “Phu Ying Khon Ni Cheu Boonrod” (“her name is Boonrod”); “Tawan Chingphlop” (“twilight”); “Pai Tong Lom” (“the wind in the bamboos”); “Kert Tae Tom” (“born in the mud”) – are the unvarnished description of a macho society in which women are hardly acknowledged. The importance of girls’ education is constantly affirmed. In 1999, she was one of eleven personalities appointed as National Artists. Several of her books have been adapted into successful television series.
