Suwanni Sukhontha was a nom de plume of Suwanni Sukhonthiang (1 March 1932, Phitsanulok

Phitsanulok Province

Phitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....

—3 February 1984, Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

), a Thai

Thailand

Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...

 novelist and SEATO Literary Award recipient.

Life

Suwanni was a daughter of Mr Yoi and Mrs Taeng-on , having one elder sister.

She completed a primary education

Primary education

A primary school is an institution in which children receive the first stage of compulsory education known as primary or elementary education. Primary school is the preferred term in the United Kingdom and many Commonwealth Nations, and in most publications of the United Nations Educational,...

 at Changwat Phitsanulok

Phitsanulok Province

Phitsanulok is a provinces of Thailand, located in the north. Neighboring provinces are Loei, Phetchabun, Phichit, Kamphaeng Phet, Sukhothai, Uttaradit. In the north-east it also has a short border with Xaignabouli of Laos....

's Satri Chaloem Khwan Female School, and spent two years for a secondary education

Secondary education

Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...

 at Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

's Pho Chang Campus of Rajamangala University of Technology Rattanakosin prior to continuing a higher education

Higher education

Higher, post-secondary, tertiary, or third level education refers to the stage of learning that occurs at universities, academies, colleges, seminaries, and institutes of technology...

 at Silpakorn University

Silpakorn University

Silpakorn University is a well-known public university in Thailand. The university was founded in Bangkok in 1943 by Italian-born art professor Corrado Feroci, who took the Thai name Silpa Bhirasri when he became a Thai citizen. It is the leading Thai university in the fine arts and archaeology,...

's Faculty of Painting, Sculpture and Graphic Arts. In 1951, Bhumibol Adulyadej

Bhumibol Adulyadej

Bhumibol Adulyadej is the current King of Thailand. He is known as Rama IX...

 awarded her a Bachelor of Arts

Bachelor of Arts

A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...

 (Painting).

After her education, Suwanni was instated as a government teacher

Teacher

A teacher or schoolteacher is a person who provides education for pupils and students . The role of teacher is often formal and ongoing, carried out at a school or other place of formal education. In many countries, a person who wishes to become a teacher must first obtain specified professional...

 at the Bangkok's School of Arts for three years, and ;later a permanent lecturer

Lecturer

Lecturer is an academic rank. In the United Kingdom, lecturer is a position at a university or similar institution, often held by academics in their early career stages, who lead research groups and supervise research students, as well as teach...

 attached to Silpakorn University, respectively.

Suwanni married Thawi Nanthakhwang , a lecturer and artist

Artist

An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...

 at the same University. The couples issued four children, and later divorced. Following divorce, Suwanni spent her all life with a long-time friend, Sirisawat Phanthumasut .

On 3 February 1984, while Suwanni was doing marketing at the outskirts

Outskirts

Outskirts may refer to:* The outskirts of a city, also known as the rural-urban fringe* Outskirts, by the Canadian country rock band Blue Rodeo* The Outskirts, a 1933 Soviet film directed by Boris Barnet...

 of Bangkok

Bangkok

Bangkok is the capital and largest urban area city in Thailand. It is known in Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon or simply Krung Thep , meaning "city of angels." The full name of Bangkok is Krung Thep Mahanakhon Amon Rattanakosin Mahintharayutthaya Mahadilok Phop Noppharat Ratchathani Burirom...

, she was fatally assaulted by a young ruffian

Ruffian

A ruffian is a scoundrel, rascal or unprincipled, deceitful, and unreliable person.As a proper noun, Ruffian may refer to:*Ruffian , a famous thoroughbred filly racehorse*Ruffian , 2007 television movie about the racehorse...

 who wanted to steal her car for purchasing narcotic

Narcotic

The term narcotic originally referred medically to any psychoactive compound with any sleep-inducing properties. In the United States of America it has since become associated with opioids, commonly morphine and heroin and their derivatives, such as hydrocodone. The term is, today, imprecisely...

. Her dead body was discovered left in the dense grasses wayside. When she was murdered, she was 52.

Literary works

While being a lecturer at Silpakorn University, Suwanni started composing novels. In 1965 came her first short story

Short story

A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...

, "Chot Mai Thueng Puk" together with using a penname "Suwanni," which was later changed to be "Suwanni Sukhontha" upon suggestion of Pramun Unhathup , editor of Siam Rat Weekly.

Her first novel, "Sai Bo Yut Sane Hai" , met with a jubilant welcome which influenced her to retire from the office at Silpakorn University and spend her full time to compose novels. Suwanni also started publishing and became an editor of "Lalana Magazine" until her last day.

The distinctive points of Suwanni's literary works were that her characters were mere ordinary people with hearts, souls, feelings and passions like the readers, this was contrary to those of other writers at that time. Moreover, her novels usually reflected the down sides of the human beings, and the language she used was common but satirising the Thai society.

Many of Suwanni's novels and her own colourful life have been made into television series and motion pictures for many times, the most notable is 2002 version of "Once in a Blue Moon" in which Sinjai Plengpanich

Sinjai Plengpanich

Sinjai Plengpanich , née Sinjai Hongtai , , is a Thai actress. She has acted in numerous lakorn as well as films and theatrical productions...

 played as her.

Awards

Many of her works brought her a number of awards, including:

• "Khao Chue Kan" — Best SEATO Literary Award in 1970;
• "Duai Pik Khong Rak" , "Phra Chan Si Nam Ngoen" and "Soi Saeng Daeng" — National Book Weeks' Awards in 1973, 1976 and 1981, respectively.

Notable novels

• "Bang Thi Phrung Ni Cha Pian Chai"
• "King Fa"
• "Khao Chue Kan"
• "Khon Roeng Mueang"
• "Kao-i Khao Nai Hong Daeng"
• "Khwam Rak Khrang Sut Thai"
• "Khuen Ni Mai Mi Phra Chan"
• "Khuen Nao Thi Luea Dao Pen Phuean"
• "Chamon"
• "Duean Dap Thi Sop Tha"
• "Dok Mai Nai Pa Daed"
• "Duai Pik Khong Rak"
• "Thale Rue Im"
• "Thong Phrakai Saet"
• "Mae Si Bangkok"
• "Ngu Rong Hai, Dok Mai Yim"
• "Phra Chan Si Nam Ngoen"
• "Phrung Ni Chan Cha Rak Khun"
• "Phu Ying Khon Nan Chue Sela"
• "Rueang Khong Ket"
• "Rueang Khong Nam Phu" — The story of her son, Wongmueang Nanthakhwang or Nam Phu who died of heroin overdose at the age of 18.
• "Luk Rak"
• "Sai Bo Yut Sane Hai"
• "Soi Sawat"
• "Sam Ngao"
• "Suan Sat" — The book has been translated into Japanese
  Japanese language
  is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
  
  and is now used in Thai secondary education and tertiary education as book for education.
• "Roi Saeng Daeng"
• "Thanon Sai Rommani"
• "Wan Wan"