CAMBO Time

The novel Sophat was written by Rim Kin in 1938 but not published until 1942 due to a lack of publishing facilities in Cambodia at that time. The book depicts both the repression endured by Cambodian women at that time and the ripple effects that this treatment could have on all of society. Girls and young women who became pregnant outside of marriage were made to feel ashamed. Like the mother of this story’s title character, they and their children were often abandoned, their existence denied. This tale begins with the abandonment of a pregnant young woman by the well-to-do, high-ranking father of her unborn child, who goes to Phnom Penh for work. She is left to deliver her baby alone, without any support from relatives. Unable to care for the child, she leaves it with an orphanage. Before she leaves her son, she gives him a name: “Sophat.” When she learns that her former sweetheart has left her for another woman, she is so utterly devastated by the betrayal that she soon falls ill an...

In Ponror commune, Rolea B'ier district, Kampong Chnangprovince, there is amountain higher than any others nearby. If welook from the distance, this mountain looks like a woman lying.Like other mountains in the neighborhood, there are any smalland big trees growing on it, but it are strange on the side of themountain, there are many maams (aromatic herbs). The peoplenearby do not eat maams there because it isbelieved that thismountain is made up of the dead body of Neang KangRei, a femaleGiant who was Puthisen's wife. And they have regarded maamsin that place as vulva hair of Neang Kang ReiIn addition, along the foot of the mountain, there is a stone mortar and a stone pestle:Since the ancient time, it is not known who made them. It is believed that anyone who gets there must take the pestle to pound onto the mortar so that they do not get sick because of the environment and are in good health and happiness. (This is thegeneral belief of the residents living there since ancient...

Once upon a time, there lived a King named Atith Vongsa - the superior King to other 101 kings-and her Queen named Pimpea, along with his other 6 thousand concubines, ruling in the capital city of Tep Borey. All of his 6,000 concubines didn't even bear a child for him. Fearing that the nation could disappear, the King's prominent servant commented the King that, "Your Majesty, you're the King of the Nation. I fear that our Nation might vanish when you pass away as we don't have any king to succeed." The King commanded Queen Pimpca to organize flowers in honor of gods and asked them for a male infant. The Queen followed his royal command. With her powerful rite, Indra's palace was shaken; he used his divine eyes to witness the event. He then in canted magical words so that Buddha could be reincarnated as a male baby of Queen Pimpea. After the ten-month pregnancy passed, a golden-skinned prince was born. He was named "Prince Sovann Kumar" by the pa...

Once upon the time, there was a couple: the husband, named Koliyak, was a District Chief and the wife was named Keo Kesey. They had a daughter named Kolkesey. Nearby the District Chiefs house, there was a poor man with a son named Kodompikoma. When he became 16, Kodompi was handsome and attractive to many women. He fell in love with Kolkesey while he was waiting to chase the sparrows off the field. Since they were afraid that their parents on both sides would punish them, they eloped to live in a rural area named Kasey, which was a thieves' area. When they arrived at that district, the thieves caught and tied up Kodompi. Seeing that, Kolkesey gave one gold ring to the District Chief and begged him to persuade the thieves to release her husband. The thieves released Kodompi since the District Chief claimed that he was a relative of his. The couple then asked the District Chief and his wife to ·be their god parents. The District Chief was so happy and loved Kodompi and Kolkesey as th...

King Kottaraja, who reigned over the Kingdom of Panhchal, was married to Queen Somontea. Their eldest son was named Sena Kottaraja, and their younger daughter was named Kesar Somontea. When the King Kottaraja passed away, the royal child, Sena Kottaraja, was crowned King by Queen Somontea. Meanwhile, King Sena Kottaraja ordered a fortune-teller to make a prediction about Princess Kesar Somontea, his younger sister. The fortune teller said that" once she reached the age of 15, she would be abducted by a giant to be his wife in the forest". Soon after, Princess Kesar Somontea came to inform her brother that she wished to go and enjoy herself in the forest. At that moment, the King tried to stop her, but she refused to cooperate, so the King ordered many of his men to accompany his younger sister. While the princess was enjoying the forest, a single giant, named Komphoan, who lived in a castle in a Himalayas forest, came to enjoy the forest too. When the giant arrived in the Kin...

  At the kingdom of Peareansey there reigned a king named Promatoat. He had a governess named Niedkoven Konthorn, who had the most powerful magic art and very good at playing the harp, singing and reciting poems. The king got a wife named Keo Kakey, who was incomparably beautiful. Born out of a white flower, she sported a fragrance all over the body. This pleasant sent would fade away seven days after having spent time with her. The king Promatoat was so pleased with his wife that he promoted her to be the superior among his concubines. There was a powerful Garuda staying in his magnificent divine Seumpai palace. The Garuda was very mighty, able to fly across oceans and to transform himself into what he desired to be. He often went playing chess with the king Prumatoat, with either side the winner or the loser. One day, feeling like playing the chess again with the king, he flew across an ocean and arriving at a fig tree where he made himself a man so handsome that it would be hard...

There was an old man named Ta Cheum who lived in Battambang, a northwestern province of Cambodia. He was gravely ill. Before his death on the day of a full moon, in the month of November of the year 1926, he was saying his last words to his only son, Chao Chet. He told his son that he must be strong, persistent, and self-reliant according to Lord Buddha’s teaching Atahe Atanor Nearthor, meaning “one must rely on oneself.” He went on to say that poverty is not acceptable in life and asked his son to try to emerge from it. He then died. After his father’s death, Chao Chet was grieving and feeling lonely in his old home. But whenever he felt sad, he remembered his father’s last words and tried to push his sadness aside. One day, Dr. Saat, the doctor who took care of Ta Cheum, came to visit Chao Chet. The doctor tried to cheer him up and reminded him of his father’s last words. Realizing that Chao Chet was unable to find a job, he wrote a recommendation letter and asked Chao Chet to travel...

  At Vi hear Thom Pagoda in Ba Phnom province, there were two novice monks, one of whom was called Tum, while the other was called Pich. They loved each other like brothers. And they usually made taok (containers) for sale. Tum was handsome and eloquent, as well as [possessing] skillful knowledge of magic, while Pich was good at playing a reed wind instrument. The windy season came, they both became bored. They said goodbye to their master in order to take taok (containers) for sale in a distant place. They walked until they arrived in Tbaung Khmum province. Everywhere they went; people were attracted to the appearance and voice of Tum. In the meantime, Nor, who was the maid of Teav, passed by that place holding a water jar. She heard Tum chanting. She stayed still and listened to him. Then, she rushed to fill the jar with water and went back to tell Teav about it. When Teav was told about what Nor had admired about Tum she begged her mother to invite him to do the chanting at home...