Profile of S.P. Somtow on Famous Like Me

S.P. Somtow (a rearrangement of his real name Somtow Papinian Sucharitkul) born December 30, 1952, is a Thai musical composer and personality, and also an English science fiction and horror author.

In 2000 he composed the first orchestral western opera by a Thai composer and based on a Thai language play by King Rama VI. The opera was in English. He has also composed five symphonies and a ballet, which have all been performed. His second opera on a Thai theme, "Mae Naak", premiered in 2003 and a third opera, "Ayodhya", will premiere in 2006.

As a science fiction writer, he is well known for several series, among which are Mallworld, Inquestor, and Aquila. He was first published as Somtow Sucharitkul in the late 1970s in the pages of Isaac Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine, and wrote several stories and novels under that name before changing his byline to S. P. Somtow for personal reasons. In the horror genre, he wrote Vampire Junction and a series of related novels and stories. He was president of the Horror Writers Association from 1998 to 2000.

He is currently artistic director of the Bangkok Opera. In this photograph is is shown (r.) with the Bangkok Opera's patron, HRH Princess Galyani Vadhana, and His Eminence Cardinal Michai, at the Thailand premiere of Mozart's C Minor Mass.

In 2006 Somtow Sucharitkul will conduct the first Wagner opera in Southeast Asia Das Rheingold, as part of a five year project to bring the entire Ring Cycle to Southeast Asia by the year 2010.

Somtow Sucharitkul has won the World Fantasy Award, for which has was also nominated four times. He has won the International Horror Guild Award, the John W. Campbell Award, the Locus Award, the HOMer Award, and numerous other awards and been nominated for two Hugos and five Bram Stoker Awards.

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