Angkarn Kallayanapong is the National Artist for Literature (Poetry) in 1989. Throughout his working years, Angkarn is widely renowned and recognized for his mastery of skills in both Fine Art and Literature.

Angkarn was born in 13 February 1926 in NaKhon Sri Thammarat. He originally born with the given name Somprasong. When he was young, he was seriously ill for many years and almost didn’t survive. When he was healed, the family gave him a new name, Boonsong. His most recent name ‘Angkarn’ was chosen by himself with the intention of recalling his difficult years. One of the meanings of ‘Angkarn’ is ‘ash’, so this name also serves as a metaphor for rebirth.

For literary works
Angkarn produced both prose and verse pieces. Both styles reflect his unrestrained thought and fluidity with traditional literary conventions. These characteristics of his work earned him a reputation as one of the pioneers in the development of new forms of poetry. Since 1963, his compositions and writings were featured in various publications and compilations, including Songkomsart Paritat Journal (a leading Thai social science journal) and Kaweenipon (collection of poems, 1963). Later, Angkarn met and received support from Sulak Sivaraksa, the founding editor of the journal Songkomsart Paritat. Sulak’s endorsement resulted in Angkarn’s rapid recognition. During the first years that his poems saw publication, he was criticized with the charge of breaking traditional poetry’s rules, resulting in his label as an ‘unorthodox poet’.