Following his release, he briefly entered politics as a representative for Thonburi Province from 1946 to 1947 and as a government minister for three months between 1947 and 1948, after which he returned to writing and publishing.

His father Sawat, however, was more interested in machinery and forfeited the family fortune to marry So's mother Keson and work at the Smith Premier Thai typewriter business of George B. McFarland, who was also publisher of the first English–Thai dictionary.

[1] So excelled academically, and after graduating from Suankularb Wittayalai School, he received the King's Scholarship to study geology and mining in England.

His writings caught the attention and approval of King Prajadhipok (Rama VII), who requested that he transfer to the Royal Secretariat Department.

His project eventually grew into a considerable operation, with the support of many of his fellow prisoners who helped write, arrange and edit the work.

[1][2][3][4] For a while, So additionally wrote articles for the Bangkok Times, which were hidden between the shells of the water flask his mother brought during visits.

[1][5] So's dictionary was picked up by Phraya Niphonphotchanat, the owner of The Bangkok Central Books Depot, whom So had worked with in the Royal Secretariat Department, and who officially explained that So had written it before being imprisoned.

[1] In 1939, when So's dictionary had reached the letter S, the government of the new fascist prime minister Plaek Phibunsongkhram (Phibun) began a crackdown on political prisoners.

The discovery of a makeshift radio So had created prompted the government to relocate all political prisoners to the penal colony of Tarutao, a remote island in the far south of the country.

His oldest son Chaiya recalled a DKW, a Lanchester, a Citroen DS 19 and a NSU Ro 80 among the cars he owned, as well as him taking a driving trip up to Mae Sai in the far north at a time when the roads were still unpaved.

[7] The original serialized publication by Bangkok Central Books Depot was titled The New Model English–Siamese Dictionary, after the country's name at the time.

After its 1937–1940 release, So worked to create an abridged Desk Edition aimed at students, which was published by Prachachang—a printer of school textbooks—after the war.

[8][9] His contempt for the military government shows through in many examples,[7] which include "Most oligarchies finally become dictatorships"[1] and "Many crimes have been perpetrated under the guise of democracy.