KING NARAI

1632-88

Known as King Narai ‘The Great’, alongside his diplomatic achievements he is best remembered for producing the first ‘Golden Age’ of Thai literature. His reign (1656-88) saw the creation of new verse forms and he had many wellknown poets among his court, including the legendary Sai Prat. Narai himself was a poet and writer whose most famous works include poems based on tales from the Fifty Jakatas and a version of the poem Pra Lo, begun previously by an anonymous author.