Nov 18th, 2007 by Jinja
Tactic to Tackle Difficulties
(Notes on desk: blame, death of child, despair, separation, debt, divorce, litigation, dispute, bankruptcy)
By Or Thereavuth
Cover by Em Satya
I should also note Em Satya has an exhibition on at Meta-House through December 12 of his comic art (below). Book launch on the 11th!
Nov 17th, 2007 by Jinja
More pulp classic action for you: this time by Uth Roeun, artist behind the comic adaptations of Tum Teav and Torn Chey, formerly of the Ministry of Education, now running the Association of Cambodian Artist Friends which is trying to hang on to its workshop located just below the temple at Wat Phnom. Uth Roeun worked both before and after the war years; the earliest work we have on file for him is 1966.
Above: Stormy Mind of a Young Girl
by Penn Vanthun
winner of Krom Ngoy award
Novel cover by Uth Roeun
Dragon Treasury
Investigation 005 / espionage
for ages over 16
by Vong Pheng
Novel cover by Uth Roeun
I’ve seen more than one ‘Secret Agent’ type story, this is a genre that seems to have garnered a following in pop lit.
Memories of a Prisoner at Koh Tralach
Part 1 by Vin Kim
Krom Ngoy Award 1972
Novel cover by Uth Roeun
(There are a host of literary awards in Cambodia, and someday I’ll get around to publishing a list. They don’t pay a lot but you’d be surprised how many people are motivated by them.)
A Kidnapped Woman
by Vong Pheung
Novel cover by Uth Roeun
Nov 16th, 2007 by Jinja
(Crying from Remorse by Sor Sornose. Cambodia Rocks!)
So why follow the literary scene in Cambodia? Cool discoveries like these. The above image is by Hul Sophon, who has worked in illustration both before and after the years of war. In addition to his primary work on covers he does many other kinds of art, and had an adaptation of ‘Kolap Pailin’ published by Reyum. (Now sold out.)
These pre-revolutionary novel covers come from Angkor Thom bookshop. (1975 and before.) I believe this art was ‘work for hire’ so while these are perennial reprints, the artist probably hasn’t seen a dime in royalties. Most likely these novels were hidden during wartime, or brought back from overseas and then reprinted.
Betraying Husband for Money
by Srey Bun Chantha
Novel cover by Hul Sophon
(Can you say ‘kitsch’? Yes you can.)
Preah Bat Bor Thum Rechea
by Hak Chey Hong
Novel cover by Hul Sophon
(hmm… that flag looks like it’s from the Sangkum era, though this looks to be a historical novel.)
Raceny Koktlok
by Sang Hal
Novel cover by Hul Sophon
Flower of Love, Flame of Suffering
by Hak Chay Hok
Novel cover by Hul Sophon
(You’ve seen a handful of these covers in earlier posts, I thought it would be good to give you the full dose here.)
Nov 15th, 2007 by Jinja
…. ‘Read and Think’ gets some television face time.
Continuing with our list of participants, if you want contact details, click on the picture.
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| Mekong Libris – Francophone bookshop, including publications from École Française d’extrême-orient. (Remember, this was lunchtime.) | A big grin from Ang Choubo, librarian. Rim Kin is a publishing aid program (named after the famous writer) that supports diverse publishing projects; generally in Khmer and French. | |
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| “Project for the Valorisation of Reading and Writing in Southeast Asia“. Works in Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. | Carnets D’Asie, Francophone bookshop affiliated with the French Cultural Centre. Great selection; additional outlet in Siem Reap. | |
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| Reading Books, rapidly growing private distributor. | Jesuit Service Cambodia. | |
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| Editions Du Mekong, publishers of Cambodge Soir and diverse Francophone/Khmer books. | Sndai Khinyom: A new group, doing children’s books. | |
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| “Open Books” operates a library on street 240. | SIPAR (Soutien a l’ Initiative Privée pour l’ Aide a la Reconstruction) is one of the biggest local nonprofit publishers, focusing on children’s books. Known for the popular ‘I Want to Know’ series. |
Also spotted: ‘Extreme Khmer‘ videoblogger Frank Smith was roaming the expo with camera in hand. Stay tuned for more coverage of the show! http://www.studykhmer.com
Tags:literature,books,culture,cambodia,khmer
Nov 14th, 2007 by Jinja
Hey, it’s mid day, and over at the French Cultural Centre Lire en Fete is on. The crowds have thinned a bit so I can get some pictures of the booths.
(This show originally happened in October 18, 19, and 20th. While the host was French, you could find books in Khmer and English as well. It’s rapidly shaping up as the yearly book event.)
I love Cambodian Book geeks. They get no acclaim but they keep struggling. And more people attend this show each year; despite what pundits and critics say, people are hungry for good stuff to read. Let’s take a look at who’s got stuff to share.
Click on the picture and in most cases I’ll have an address or contact info.
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| Domrei Sor Children’s books. A small collective of authors and writers who produce works in Khmer, English, French, Japanese. | Reyum publishes art and research, recent releases include a book on Wat paintings. Highly recommended: their Khmer ornaments book | ‘Read and Think’. These young folks were the sleeper hit of the show with their books on mathematics and intellectual puzzles. | ||
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| Our Books had a slideshow of their digital archive of Khmer comics, and a preview of their upcoming graphic novel. | Health Magazine – not an NGO outreach effort, but a for-profit lifestyle magazine! The magazine market is growing. | Cambokids – the name speaks for itself. Children’s literature. Yes, I know the photo’s off center. I’m running around trying to shoot the entire show in 5 minutes, OK? | ||
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| Khmer Civilization Association publishes a variety of materials. In it for the duration. | New faces this time, the French Cultural Centre. | Nou Hach Literary Journal and the Sower’s Association shared adjoining booths. The Journal has yearly awards for literature, the Association publishes poetry. | ||
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| The Khmer Writers Association is one of the oldest literary institutions in Cambodia, operating out of their headquarters at Wat Botum. | Federation for the Development of the Book Sector in Cambodia has copies of their newsletter and ‘Books in Print Cambodia’. (Remember, this was lunchtime.) | Editions Funan had a diverse selection including this book on Phnong language. Way to go! | ||
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| Tam Tam, one of the longest-running children’s magazines in Cambodia. (The other is Mom and Mab.) | Even during lunchtime, Angkor Thom bookshop is doing a brisk business. | Room To Read not only publishes books for young people, but also maintains regional libraries. An impressive effort, and they are continuing to grow. | ||
Tomorrow: more of the tribe.
Tags:literature,books,culture,cambodia,khmer
Jinja
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