Thongproi the Rich Girl

Thongproi the Rich Girl: short story by Kukrit PramojHave you ever wished you were so rich that you could have anything you want? There are two types of people in this group: those who work hard to capitalize on their good fortune, and those who live a life of indolent luxury. This story by Kukrit Pramoj is about a girl from Thailand who fits into the second category. Thongproi was spoiled from the day she was born, one of the most beautiful women in the district, and had a devoted husband in a senior government position. One would expect her to be very happy. But was she?

This is one of 12 stories in a book called Many Lives. The only thing the people in the book have in common is that they all died at the same time in a boat that sank in a storm. The idea for the book is said to have come to Pramoj when he was passing the scene of a serious road accident with a group of journalist friends. A bus had crashed over a bridge and bodies were lined up along the side of the road. One of the journalists asked what these people might have had in common to bring them to such a horrible end. Pramoj suggested that they write a book about it, with each of them contributing the story of a life. He wrote the first story (about Loi the Bandit), but none of the others were motivated enough to contribute. This led Pramoj to write the whole book himself.

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