Khun Srun
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Khun Srun (, 1945–1978) was an important
Cambodia Cambodia, officially the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. It is bordered by Thailand to the northwest, Laos to the north, and Vietnam to the east, and has a coastline ...
n writer. He was born in Char village (ភូមិចារ), Rorvieng sub-district (ឃុំរវៀង), Samrong district (ស្រុកសំរោង), Takéo province, into a poor
Chinese Cambodian Chinese Cambodians (or Sino-Khmers) are Cambodian citizens of Chinese ancestry or Chinese of full or partial Khmer ancestry. The Khmer term ''Khmer Kat Chen'' () is used for people of mixed Chinese and Khmer descent; ''Chen Khmer'' () means Cam ...
family. When he was eight, his father, Khun Kim Chheng, a Chinese man who had fled Communism, died, and he and his six siblings were raised by his mother, Chi Eng, a small shopkeeper and a devout Buddhist. He began his schooling during the country's first years of independence, when the doors to higher education and professionalization were inching open to all Cambodians, regardless of their social and economic class. A brilliant student, he studied Khmer literature and psychology at the university in Phnom Penh, becoming widely read in sciences, mathematics, and European literature. Amid the turmoil of the 1960s, he worked as a professor of mathematics and a journalist while writing fiction and poetry. He also worked as a member of the textbook editorial committee at the Ministry of Education. In less than four years, he published three collections of poems, short tales, and philosophical anecdotes; two collections of autobiographical short stories, ''The Last Residence'' and ''The Accused''; and a final volume of poems, ''For a Woman'' (this last book was probably never published). He was influenced by both
existentialism Existentialism is a family of philosophical views and inquiry that explore the human individual's struggle to lead an authentic life despite the apparent absurdity or incomprehensibility of existence. In examining meaning, purpose, and valu ...
and Cambodian Buddhism. In 1971, he was imprisoned during 7 months by the right-wing
Lon Nol Marshal Lon Nol (, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence minister and provi ...
government for refusing to collaborate, but still refused to align himself with the extreme left. In 1973, after being imprisoned for a second time, he finally joined the communist guerrillas. He was only 28, and his life as a writer was finished. After the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
took power, in 1975, Khun Srun (aka Phoeun - ភឿន) was assigned work as a railway engineer). On 20 December 1978, he, his wife and their two youngest children were victims of the last purges. They were arrested, transferred to
Tuol Sleng prison The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (), or simply Tuol Sleng (, ; lit. "Hill of the Poisonous Trees" or "Strychnine Hill"), is a museum chronicling the Cambodian genocide. Located in Phnom Penh, the site is a former secondary school which was used as ...
and probably killed in
Choeung Ek Choeung Ek (, ) is a former orchard in Dangkao, Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, that was used as a Killing Field between 1975 and 1979 by the Khmer Rouge in perpetrating the Cambodian genocide. Situated about south of the city centre, it was ...
, few days before the end of
Pol Pot Pol Pot (born Saloth Sâr; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian politician, revolutionary, and dictator who ruled the communist state of Democratic Kampuchea from 1976 until Cambodian–Vietnamese War, his overthrow in 1979. During ...
's regime. Only Khun Srun's nine-year-old daughter, Khun Khem, survived, taken by Khmer Rouge cadres and forced to live among them in the forest on the Cambodian-Thai border. One of his brothers, Khun Ngoy, was among the intellectuals who returned to Cambodia and disappeared from Dey Kraham (Red Land) camp. The life and writing of Khun Srun is portrayed in Eric Galmard's documentary film, ''A Tomb for Khun Srun'' (2015).


Books

* គណិតសាស្ត្រថ្នាក់ទី៣-៤-៥-៦-៧-៨ (''Textbook of Mathematics'', third-form to eighth-form classes), under the direction of Uy Vanthon, 1970. * គំហើញទី១ (''My Views 1''), 1970. * គំហើញទី២ (''My Views 2''), 1970. * គំហើញទី៣ (''My Views 3''), 1970. * សៀវភៅជំទង់អំពីចំណេះ (''About Knowledge - For Young People''), with Peng Soeung (ប៉ែងសឿង), 1971 (Second Edition, 1973). * សំរស់ជីវិត (''The Beauty of Life''), 1971 (republished in 1994). * សៀវភៅជំទង់អំពីស្នេហា (''About Love - For Young People''), with Peng Soeung (ប៉ែងសឿង), 1971 (Second Edition, 1973). * កាព្យសាស្រ្តខ្មែរ (''Khmer Poetics''), written by Ing Yeng (អឹុងយ៉េង), corrected (ពិនិត្យសំរួល) by Khun Srun, 1972. * ហ្សង់ប៉ូលសាត្រ និងអាល់ប៊ែរកាមិស (''About Jean Paul Sartre and Albert Camus''), 1972. * លំនៅចុងក្រោយ (''The Last Residence''), 1972. This book is composed of five short stories. "Srun might have written the first story, ផ្លេកបន្ទោរមួយ (''A Flash of Lightning''), after reading the short story "Erostratus" from
Sartre Jean-Paul Charles Aymard Sartre (, ; ; 21 June 1905 – 15 April 1980) was a French philosopher, playwright, novelist, screenwriter, political activist, biographer, and literary critic, considered a leading figure in 20th-century French ph ...
's book, ''The Wall''. When the narrator, a prisoner, takes a shower on the roof of the police station, he suddenly has the delusion that he wants to kill a woman who happens to be there, just as the hero in "Erostratus" while standing on top of a high building decides to kill someone. The second story, ភេទដែលគេជិន (''A Disgusted Nature''), deals with the confession of a lady teacher who is distrustful of men. One can draw some comparisons with characters from classical stories such as Neang Kakey,
Tum Teav ''Tum Teav'' ( ; meaning "Tum and Teav") is a mid-19th century Cambodian romantic tragedy folk tale. It is originally based on a poem and is considered the "Cambodian Romeo and Juliet" and has been a compulsory part of the Cambodian secondary na ...
, and
Reamker ''Reamker'' (, UNGEGN: , ALA-LC: ; ) is a Cambodian epic poem, based on the Sanskrit's Rāmāyana epic. The name means "Glory of Rama". It is the national epic of Cambodia, along with the less famous version of the '' Trai Bhet''. The earliest ...
. The lady teacher asserts that men have always exploited women, marriage does not bring women happiness and women have a right not to bear a child. The story raises gender issues that are the same today. In ផ្ទះអន្ទិតសុក (''Sok's Home''), the hero, Sok, leaves his home village and goes to
Phnom Penh Phnom Penh is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Cambodia, most populous city of Cambodia. It has been the national capital since 1865 and has grown to become the nation's primate city and its political, economic, industr ...
where he wanders from house to house as a servant. He sees that a rich family who used to live in an elegant home had come on hard times and finally found a place to live in peace in the simple home of a married couple. សាលាខ្ញុំ (''My School'') and គ្រូភឿន (''Mr. Phoeun, a teacher'') describe the sweet memories of Srun's schooldays." (Tomoko Okada,
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies , often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist National university, national research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. TUFS is primarily devoted to foreign language, international relations, international affairs and area studies. ...
)
ជនជាប់ចោទ
(''The Accused''), 1973 (written after being jailed for the first time by the
Lon Nol Marshal Lon Nol (, also ; 13 November 1913 – 17 November 1985) was a Cambodian military officer and politician who served as Prime Minister of Cambodia twice (1966–67; 1969–71), as well as serving repeatedly as defence minister and provi ...
regime, from 1 February to 6 September 1971) : 1. សំរែកអ្នកសរសេរ 2.ជីវិតជាប់ចោទ 3.ខ្ញុំមិនទាន់យល់ 4.ជនជាប់ចោទ "Khun’s last novel, ''The Accused'', published in 1973, is narrated by a writer imprisoned by Cambodia’s military government. The accused asserts that he is not a person of politics or even a man of conviction, simply an observer and a writer. He, a lover of literature, wants to flee the country and be part of the wider world; yet he wants, also, to have the courage to risk his life for his principles. Shortly after ''The Accused'' was published, Khun left Phnom Penh and joined the
Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...
." (
Madeleine Thien Madeleine Thien (; pinyin: Dèng Mǐnlíng; b. 1974) is a Canadian short story writer and novelist. ''The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature'' has considered her work as reflecting the increasingly trans-cultural nature of Canadian literature ...
, Brick Magazine) * ចិត្តសាស្ដ្រសំរាប់គ្រប់គ្នា (''Psychology For All'', 1973, unpublished?) * ជូននារីម្នាក់ (''For a Woman'', 1973, unpublished?)


Translations

* ''The Last Residence'' (終の住処): ''phlek bonto muoy'' いなびかり, ''phet dael ke chin'' (男嫌い), ''phteah antet sok'' (ソックの家), ''salaa khnom'' (学校); translated from Khmer to Japanese b
Tomoko Okada
in ''Modern Short Stories'', Cambodian Studies,
Tokyo University of Foreign Studies , often referred to as TUFS, is a specialist National university, national research university in Fuchū, Tokyo, Fuchū, Tokyo, Japan. TUFS is primarily devoted to foreign language, international relations, international affairs and area studies. ...

The Daido Life Foundation
2001.
''Un homme en examen'' (extraits)
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet, in Revue Europe, "Écrivains du Cambodge", 81e année, N° 889 / Mai 2003. Republished i
Revue bilingue MEET
n°15, bilingual Khmer/French edition, ''Porto Rico / Phnom Penh'', 2011.
''The Accused'' (excerpt)
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet and from French to English by Daniela Hurezanu and Stephen Kessler
''In the Shadow of Angkor: Contemporary Writing From Cambodia''
Mānoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...
,
University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
(2004).
''Je déteste le mot et la lettre ត (tâ)''
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet, in Revue Europe, "Écrivains du Cambodge", 81e année, N° 889 / Mai 2003.
''I Hate the Word and the Letter ត (Ta)''
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet and from French to English by Daniela Hurezanu and Stephen Kessler
''In the Shadow of Angkor: Contemporary Writing From Cambodia''
Mānoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...
, University of Hawaii Press (2004).
''Fragments from The Accused''
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet and from French to English by
Madeleine Thien Madeleine Thien (; pinyin: Dèng Mǐnlíng; b. 1974) is a Canadian short story writer and novelist. ''The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature'' has considered her work as reflecting the increasingly trans-cultural nature of Canadian literature ...
, Brick Magazine 97, Summer 2016.

(ជនជាប់ចោទ, The Accused, 1973), translated from Khmer to French and prefaced by Christophe Macquet, , Paris, April 2018, 128 pages.
''The Accused (excerpt)''
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet and from French to English by
Madeleine Thien Madeleine Thien (; pinyin: Dèng Mǐnlíng; b. 1974) is a Canadian short story writer and novelist. ''The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature'' has considered her work as reflecting the increasingly trans-cultural nature of Canadian literature ...
, in ''Who Will Speak for America?'', edited by Stephanie Feldman and Nathaniel Popkin, July 2018.
From ''The Accused''
translated from Khmer to French by Christophe Macquet and from French to English by
Madeleine Thien Madeleine Thien (; pinyin: Dèng Mǐnlíng; b. 1974) is a Canadian short story writer and novelist. ''The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature'' has considered her work as reflecting the increasingly trans-cultural nature of Canadian literature ...

''Out of the Shadows of Angkor: Cambodian Poetry, Prose, and Performance through the Ages''
Mānoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...
,
University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
(2022).
''An Introduction to'' The Accused
by Christophe Macquet, translated from French by
Madeleine Thien Madeleine Thien (; pinyin: Dèng Mǐnlíng; b. 1974) is a Canadian short story writer and novelist. ''The Oxford Handbook of Canadian Literature'' has considered her work as reflecting the increasingly trans-cultural nature of Canadian literature ...

''Out of the Shadows of Angkor: Cambodian Poetry, Prose, and Performance through the Ages''
Mānoa Manoa (, ; ) is a valley on the island of Oahu, Hawaii. It is a residential neighborhood of Honolulu, Hawaii. The neighborhood is approximately three miles (5 km) east and inland from downtown Honolulu and less than a mile (1600 m) from ...
,
University of Hawaii Press A university () is an institution of tertiary education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase , which roughly means "community of teachers and scholars". Uni ...
(2022).


Quotes

* "I know it's dangerous to live among men." (''The Accused'') * "In
Solzhenitsyn Aleksandr Isayevich Solzhenitsyn. (11 December 1918 – 3 August 2008) was a Soviet and Russian author and dissident who helped to raise global awareness of political repression in the Soviet Union, especially the Gulag prison system. He was ...
's novella 'Matryona's Place''">Matryona's_Place.html" ;"title="'Matryona's Place">'Matryona's Place'' the widow, Matryona, possesses nothing. Why accumulate goods, she wonders, only to live in fear of dispossession, only to hold fast to our belongings rather than our lives? Hers is in an uncommon way of seeing, certainly, yet I find myself in kinship with her. I have never wanted to possess villas nor land nor wealth because I imagine that, at the moment of my death, my attachment to them would bring me only sorrow. Far better to lead an untethered existence." (''The Accused'') * "I do have one hope left, however. A tiny one. I know I am innocent and wrongly accused. So I try to fool myself, I try to be an optimist: the inspector is a Khmer; he has dark skin and the same blood as I do." (''The Accused'')


See also

*
Choeung Ek Choeung Ek (, ) is a former orchard in Dangkao, Phnom Penh, capital of Cambodia, that was used as a Killing Field between 1975 and 1979 by the Khmer Rouge in perpetrating the Cambodian genocide. Situated about south of the city centre, it was ...
* Chuth Khay * Hak Chhay Hok * Kang Kek Iew, Kang Kek Iew (Duch) * Keng Vannsak * Kong Bunchhoeun * Rithy Panh * Soth Polin *
Tuol Sleng prison The Tuol Sleng Genocide Museum (), or simply Tuol Sleng (, ; lit. "Hill of the Poisonous Trees" or "Strychnine Hill"), is a museum chronicling the Cambodian genocide. Located in Phnom Penh, the site is a former secondary school which was used as ...
*
Vorn Vet Vorn Vet (; 1929–1978), born Sok Thuok (), was a Cambodian politician who served as deputy prime minister for the economy of Democratic Kampuchea. He was responsible for appointing Kang Kek Iew to his position as head of Special Security. ...
* Yim Guechse


References

* ''Écrivains et expressions littéraires du Cambodge au XXe s. Contribution à l'histoire de la littérature khmère'', by Khing Hoc Dy, vol. 2,
L'Harmattan Éditions L'Harmattan, usually known simply as L'Harmattan (), is one of the largest French book publishers. It specialises in non-fiction books with a particular focus on Sub-Saharan Africa. It is named after the Harmattan, a trade wind in W ...
, 1993. * អក្សរសិល្ប៍ខ្មែរសតវត្សទី២០, (''Anthology of Khmer Literature: 20th Century''), by Khing Hoc Dy, Phnom Penh, Ed. de La Plus Haute Tour, 2002, 665 p.
ឃុន ស្រ៊ុន (1945–1978), (''New biography of Khun Srun'' with few photographs)
by Khing Hoc Dy, 2016.


External links


''A Tomb for Khun Srun''
documentary film directed by Eric Galmard, Dora Films, 2015, 68 min, in Khmer with English subtitles (trailer).
''Chasing the Past''
by Rajan Venkataraman, in the Mekong Review, February, 2016.
''L'accusé de Khun Srun''
by Richard Rechtman, in revue Études, July, 2018.
''Voix des âmes cambodgiennes''
by Hugo Pradelle, En attendant Nadeau, 2025. {{DEFAULTSORT:Khun, Srun Cambodian poets 1945 births 1978 deaths People who died in the Cambodian genocide Male poets 20th-century poets 20th-century Cambodian male writers People from Takéo province Cambodian people of Chinese descent Cambodian novelists Male novelists 20th-century novelists 20th-century Cambodian writers