A book of literary criticism titled Lakkarnvijarn Vannakhadee has become a best seller in Laos following its publication at the end of last year.
The book is written by the Venerable Phaivanh Malavong. The first edition has a print run of 2,000 issues but there are now only a few copies left as it is very popular with teachers and students of literature.
It is a fascinating book and enables readers to gain a deeper insight into the country’s popular works of literature.
It was written in response to a growing need for such a book, both by the general public and educational institutions nationwide, as work in this field is rare in Laos.
Even the National University of Laos (NUOL) lacks this kind of critical analysis of the nation’s literary works, along with other institutions around the country.
The book is suitable for teachers, students, writers, poet, and critics. It is a good starting point in the field of literary criticism and sets a firm foundation for future developments in this area.
It also helps to promote a love of reading and literature, and encourages people to see the importance of literature and the need to preserve it.
The book explains how to analyse proverbs, poem, short stories, and novels.
The writer has based the book on information and critical methods collected from various sources in Laos and other countries.
The Venerable Phaivanh Malavong said he was delighted to have been able to write the book and that it had proved to be so popular. He felt it would be a useful aid in the analysis of literary works and would spur greater interest in literature.
I wrote this book as I realised the importance of literary criticism and further development in this field. There are currently no other such books available in Laos. I feel certain that this kind of critique will help to improve and develop Lao literature, while also raising the profile of our writers. It will also encourage people to understand the importance of delving into literature and preserving it, he said.
The Venerable Phaivanh Malavong is himself an outstanding young writer who has written more than 20 historical books, criticisms, religious articles and technical books, which have been published in various newspapers and magazines.
Using the penname Loukdonkaden ‘, he has won several prizes and titles for his writing and poetry, and in 2015 was awarded the Mekong River Literature prize.
His award winning work was titled Aliyatham Loummaenamkhong , or Lower Mekon g Civilisation.
He has studied Lao language and literature at various institutions and has a diploma in Lao Language and Literature from Sangha College at Vat Ongteu in Vientiane, and last year gained a Master of Arts in Lao Language and Literature from NUOL.
He is currently a teacher at Sangha College and a guest lecturer at N UOL. He is also studying for a doctorate in Thailand.
He loves writing and pens all kinds of articles. He began by writing poems, short stories, and technical articles for various newspapers and magazines when he was at secondary school. He became a member of the Lao Writers’ Association in 2006 and has since gone on to produce many more articles.
Source: Vientiane Times
