Somtow Sucharitkul

(December 30, 1952 – )

A Thai-American pro writer and fan, who grew up in the UK, Somtow Papinian Sucharitkul also publishes under the byline S. P. Somtow. He has written sf, fantasy and horror. Since moving back to Thailand in 2001, he has been mostly active in music, composing and producing operas and conducting orchestras, but in the 2020s has gone back to writing fiction, as well.

While living in Washington, DC, he was an active member of Baltiwash fandom and WSFA and helped start the second series of The WSFA Journal and the Son of the WSFA Journal. He split from WSFA during the Dunegate feud, publishing the fanzine Dune Gate with Tim Sullivan and helping to form the Washington Alternative SF Association. He was a member of the Philadelphia in '86 bid committee, and attended cons around the United States.

He pubbed the fanzine Fanny Hill with Dan Joy.

In 1990, he wrote, directed, produced and starred in The Laughing Dead, a horror movie with a cast of fans and pros including Ed Bryant, Tim Powers, William F. Wu, Tim Sullivan, Forrest J Ackerman, Bill Warren, Beverly Warren and Len Wein. In 2021, he premiered and starred in a new horror film, The Maestro, which won the Spirit of Cinema Award at the Oldenburg International Film Festival and other awards.

In March 2015, Somtow visited the U.S. for the world premiere of his dark fantasy opera "The Snow Dragon" in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and the coinciding relaxacon Operacon.

From time to time, he makes threats to bid for a Thai Worldcon.

More reading:

• Official website.
• Entry in The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction.
• Bibliography at ISFDB.

Fanzines and Apazines:

• Dune Gate [1984] (with Tim Sullivan)
• Fanny Hill (with Dan Joy)
• Son of the WSFA Journal
• WSFA Journal

Awards, Honors and GoHships:

• 1980 -- Featured Writer at Disclave 24, Campbell Award nominee
• 1981 -- Campbell Award, Locus Award for Best First Novel for Starship and Haiku
• 1982 -- MystiCon 1.5, Brandycon, Edmond Hamilton Award for Sense of Wonder in Fiction for “The Dust”
• 1983 -- Pseudocon, Hexacon 6
• 1984 -- Minicon 18, CopperCon 4
• 1985 -- MileHiCon 17, OryCon '85, MystiCon Pi
• 1986 -- Perpetual ConFusion, MC at DSC 24, Daedalus Award for Best Fantasy Novel for The Shattered Horse
• 1987 -- TusCon 14
• 1988 -- Baycon '88, Toastmaster at Rivercon XIII
• 1989 -- 15th World Fantasy Convention; American Horror Award, HOMer Award, and Rocky Award for Moon Dance
• 1990 -- Disclave 34 (as "Movie Mogul GoH"), Tucker Award, Devendra P. Varma Award from Northern Colorado University for Vampire Junction
• 1991 -- MileHiCon 23, Immaculate ConFusion
• 1993 -- MileHiCon 25, LepreCon 19
• 1994 -- Rocky Award for The Wizard’s Apprentice
• 1997 -- International Horror Guild Award for “Brimstone and Salt”
• 1998 -- International Humanitarian Film Award for “Ill Met By Moonlight”
• 2001 -- World Fantasy Award for Best Novella for “The Bird Catcher”
• 2004 -- Diversicon 12
• 2008 -- Distinguished Silpathorn Award from Thailand’s Ministry of Culture
• 2015 -- Operacon
• 2021 -- Spirit of Cinema Award
• 2023 -- National Artist of Thailand
• Two Hugo Awards nominations
• Four other World Fantasy Award nominations
• Six Bram Stoker Awards nominations

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Person

1952—

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