Cambodia Literature

Evidence of the antiquity of the Khmer language are multiple epigraphic inscriptions on stones. These inscriptions were the evidence that allowed to restore the history of the Khmer empire .

These inscriptions on columns, steles and walls shed light on the royal line, religious preferences, territorial conquests and the internal organization of the kingdom. These include inscriptions in Sanskrit on steles in the temples of Vokan and Tonle Bati (6th c.). The inscription in the Tonle Bati temple glorifies King Rudravarman, Buddha, his father - Kaudinya Jayyavarmana.

According to the inscriptions, one of the oldest Khmer documents was the translation of the commentary of the Buddhist texts of Tripitaki into the Pali language, written in Khmer writing .

These texts were written by monks using stencils of palm leaves in Palmyra . They were stored throughout the country in various monasteries and many of them were destroyed by the Khmer Rouge .

From the Angkor period preserved monuments, inscriptions on the stone. During this period, texts were also written on palm leaves with wooden covers. According to the trends of Brahmanism and Buddhism, the Sanskrit texts described the exploits of great people and gods. Famous representatives of this trend include Yashovarman II, Kavishvara, Yokindra, Subhadra.

Texts were written in the ancient Khmer language - an inscription in Akyom in the Moon valley (609).

Significant works of this period include: the poem Indradevi, the epic “Reamker” based on “Ramayana”, “Reamker”, poets and prose writers - Kaosathipadei Ka Тu, Duong, Thieu Non, Nèakpàang, Samphѐar, Phokdei, Anjit and others.

In the middle period, the legendary poem “Tum and Tau” (15th century) was written about the tragic love of a young man and a girl.

The French colony of the country slowed down the development of literature. At this time, writers worked: Sottan Prajtja En, Saom Lot, Nu Kan and others.

Significant works: the poem "Perianth Banana" and others.

One of the best works of this time is the poem “Sratop Tiek” by Bamrae Utei Ngynga, written on the basis of ancient legends.

During this period, the Royal Chronicles or the Cambodian Chronicles were written - a collection of historical manuscripts describing the times from 1430 to the beginning of the 16th century. ^[1] .

This period of the history of Cambodia is considered the dark centuries - the end of the Khmer empire. The last king is mentioned in ancient inscriptions - King Jayavarman Parameshvara, who ruled from 1327 to 1336.

In the 30s of the 20th century, a novel genre appeared in the country. The novels are written: “Pailin Rose” (1936) Gnok Thaema, “Withered Flower” (1947) Well Khacha and “Sophat” (1938) Rym Kina. It is written in Khmer language - “Pailin rose”.

After World War II, Cambodia gained independence. Schools began to study their language and literature. In 1955, the Association of Khmer Writers and the journal Aksarsastr (Literature) were created.

Modern writers in Cambodia include prize writers Tiu Ol, Hel Sumpha, Swan Surin, Nop Sawan ; poets Heng Yang, Blow Sidim, Keng Bansak, Seth, Sui Hieng and others.

After the victory of the Khmer Rouge in the civil war in Cambodia in 1975 and the establishment of an ultra - left regime there, persecution began against Cambodian writers. Some of them were forced to move to villages, live with peasants, work on agricultural work. In the framework of the Polpot “struggle against superstition” and the Buddhist religion, Khmer folklore was cleaned ^[2] , ^[3] .

The defeat of the Pol Pot regime and the creation of the People's Republic of Kampuchea led to a restoration of the prestige of writers, a partial restoration of Buddhism as a state religion and a renewed interest in the traditions of literature and local folklore.

Modern writers are collecting, organizing and publishing Khmer folklore in all its local genres: moralizing poems (t'bap), fairy tale, fable (ryang), verses for singing (tamrieng).

Cambodian folklore has a rich heritage and diverse oral traditions. It includes legends, tales and songs about mythical heroes and ghosts. Until the 19th and 20th centuries, some of them were not recorded and stored orally.

Much of folklore was borrowed from the Indian epic Ramayana and Mahabharata, from the Buddhist tales of Jatak .

Local folklore includes legends in verses. Their heroes were princes and supernatural beings.

The heroes of fairy tales were often Vorvong and Sorvong - Khmer princes who fell out of favor with the rulers. In 2006, according to stories with the characters of Vorwong and Sorvong, a dance was performed in the Royal Ballet of Cambodia ^[4] .

Cambodia National Park has two hills named after the two heroic brothers Warwong and Sorwong.

• សែត គី ម . ប្រវត្តិ អក្សរសាស្ត្រខ្មែរ / សែត គី ម . - ភ្នំពេញ , ២៥០៣ [1960].
• លី ធា ម តេ ង . អក្សរសាស្ត្រខ្មែរ / លី ធា ម តេ ង . - ភ្នំពេញ : បណ្ណាគារ សេង - ងួ ន - ហ៊ួ ត , ២៥០៣ [1960].
• Liste des manuscrits khmers // Bulletin de l'Ecole française d'Extrême-Orient. - 1902. - T. 2, No. 4.
• Leclère A., Les livres sacrés du Cambodge, P., 1906;
• Manod GH, Le cambodgien, P., 1931;
• Coedès G., Inscriptions du Cambodge, v. 1-6, Hanoï - P., 1937-54;
• Maspero H., Les langues Mon-Khmere, in book: Les langues du monde, nouv. éd., P., 1952;
• Martini F., Note sur l'empreinte du bouddhisme dans la version cambodgienne du Rāmāyana, Journal of Asiatique, 1952, fasc. one; Le Cambodge, [Saigon, 1960].

• Cambodia Cultural Profile (Ministry of Culture and Fine Arts / Visiting Arts)
• Center For Khmer Studies
• Mission Pavie, Indo-Chine, 1879-1895 (Fr.)
• The emergence of modern and contemporary Cambodian literature
• In the Shadow of Angkor: A Search for Cambodian Literature
• Cambodian literature today
• Cambodia Literature
• https://web.archive.org/web/20180101081743/http://www.asiat.ru/cambodge.shtml?%2Fartc%2Fliter