Phra Aphai Mani

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Phra Aphai Mani

Phra Aphai Mani (right) and the mermaid (left) statue on Koh Samet
Author	Sunthorn Phu
Original title	พระอภัยมณี
Language	Thai
Genre	Epic poem
Published	1870 (finished 1844)
Publication place	Thailand
Media type	samut thai
Pages	1422 (unbridged)

Phra Aphai Mani is a 48,700-line epic poem composed by Thai poet Sunthorn Phu (Thai: สุนทรภู่), who is known as "the Bard of Rattanakosin" (Thai: กวีเอกแห่งกรุงรัตนโกสินทร์)^[a]. It is considered to be one of Thailand's national epics. With 48,686 couplets, it is listed as the longest Thai single poem. Suthorn Phu started working on this epic fantasy in 1822 and finished it in 1844; it took 22 years. It is also one of the most well-known Thai folklores that has been heavily adapted into films and comics. The main protagonists are Prince Aphai Mani, the mermaid, and the Pisue Samutra; a female ogress who can transmute herself into a beautiful girl.

Although Phra Aphai Mani contains many mythical creatures and supra-natural protagonists, its major difference from other Thai epics is that they are originally created by Sunthorn Phu himself, unlike those that are based on well-known folk stories like Khun Chang Khun Phaen. Moreover, Phra Aphai Mani was composed during the period of western colonization of Southeast Asia, and as a result, many parts of the story include characters of European ancestry, from mercenaries to pirates. Some Thai literary critics believe that Sunthorn Phu composed Phra Aphai Mani as an anti-colonialist tale, disguised as a versified tale of fantasy adventures.^[1]

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