This book examines two aspects of the abbreviated reign of King Ananda Mahidol (1935-1946), or King Rama VIII, of the current Chakri dynasty of Thailand. First, it discusses the royal family’s plot to thwart a romantic relationship between the young king, Ananda, and his Swiss girlfriend, Marileine Ferrari, a daughter of a famous pastor of Lausanne, Switzerland. Interracial marriage, particularly with Westerners, has been strictly forbidden for Thai kings or heirs apparent. The restriction stems from the interwoven connection between sexual relationship and the security of the throne. The second part investigates the mysterious death of King Ananda, a long-held taboo topic in Thailand. Although the two events were not specially related, both in their own way served to unavoidably shake the position of the monarchy and hence threaten its existence. The palace’s reactions to these events demonstrated its continuous search to maintain its power and ultimately to warrant its survival.

パヴィン・チャチャワルポンパンの筆致は、若き王アナンダ・マヒドンの悲劇を、単なる歴史の断片ではなく、個人の愛と王権の存続が衝突する極限の人間ドラマとして描き出します。スイス人女性との禁じられた恋と、その不可解な死。これらは王室という聖域を守るための冷徹な生存戦略を浮き彫りにし、読者に国家の秩序と個人の自由の葛藤を激しく突きつけます。 本作は映像化もされており、画面越しに伝わるドラマチックな情景と、書籍が提供する緻密な背景分析が見事な相乗効果を生んでいます。映像が王の孤独を叙情的に描く一方で、原作は権力構造の闇を論理的に解体し、真実への思索をより深めてくれます。両メディアを横断することで、歴史のタブーに隠された一人の青年の真の肖像が、より鮮烈に浮かび上がるでしょう。