Women, Sexuality and Politics in Modern Cambodian Literature
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WOMEN, SEXUALITY AND Introduction POLITICS IN MODERN CAMBODIAN Modern prose literature of Cambodia emerged as a result of Western influence LITERATURE: in the 1940s, with the sentimental novel as THE CASE OF SOTH the dominant genre. After independence, POLIN'S SHORT STORY 1 the Cambodian novel and short story underwent tremendous growth. Almost 2 one thousand works were created between Klairung Amratisha 1953 and 1975, and many new types of writing such as political, philosophical, Abstract historical, adventurous as well as erotic texts appeared. In the active community of This essay aims to explore the political writers in Phnom Penh during the late messages found in the work of Soth Polin, 1960s and, at the start of the 1970s, Soth one of Cambodia’s influential writers in Polin was considered one of the most the 1970s. Soth’s short story, Sramol Pt ī influential figures. His writings were Oey..Khluon Ūn Rahaek [My Dear highly controversial and very popular Husband…My Body Was Torn Apart] among the reading public. His novels and illustrates how Cambodia was in a state of short stories can be categorised into many physical and moral decay during the groups: philosophical, political and Vietnam War as a result of attacks from pornographic writings. This article aims to Vietnamese Communists and American explore the relationship between these influence over the Cambodian leaders three different aspects as seen through the during the Vietnam War. In Soth’s stories, sexual behaviour of Soth's women pornographic, philosophical and political characters in one of his short stories, elements are artistically interwoven. The Sramol Pt ī Oey..Khluon Ūn Rahaek [My author uses women’s bodies and sexuality Dear Husband…My Body Was Torn as both a site of patriarchal control and as Apart]. In the first part of the article, the a site of negotiation between the female background of the author and his writing subject and the patriarchal power. The as well as a synopsis of the studied text is feminised body of Cambodia symbolizes given. The second part deals with the the political oppression of foreign powers concept of women’s sexuality in and resistance to these powers. Soth’s text traditional literature and its influence on shows the continuity of traditional Soth’s short story. In the last part, the concepts and new creativity in modern connection between sexuality and politics Cambodian literature. during the Khmer Republic period (1970- 1975) is examined in detail. 1 The author is grateful to Mr.Korath Norin for sending her Soth Polin’s short story collection studied in this paper. 2 Lecturer, Department of Thai, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University. Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 04:52:06AM via free access Women, Sexuality and Politics in Modern Cambodian Literature The author and the text In the mid-1960s, when Cambodia's stability was threatened by both internal The literary works of Soth Polin have and external forces, Soth founded his always been highly provocative since their Nagar Dham [Big City] newspaper which first publication and, until today, they have soon became an influential opposition been well received both by critics and paper. Direct criticism through news readers. What makes his novels and short reports and commentaries in Nagar Dham stories distinguishable from the works of resulted in the shutdown of the newspaper other writers is that his writings consist on several occasions. Soth also inserted largely of philosophical, political, as well indirect criticism of society and politics in as pornographic elements. As a former most of his novels and short stories, and some of them were banned immediately student and lecturer of philosophy, Soth 5 was strongly influenced by Existentialism on release. A Khmer critic has pointed out which was popular around the mid- that Soth's works were successful among twentieth century with the works of Jean young readers of his time because they Paul Sartre and Albert Camus. 3 In his dealt with social problems (Hak writings, the concepts of individualism, 2005:114). individual freedom, and subjectivity are so apparent that he has been called by critics Another aspect of Soth's writings is that the Khmer Existentialist and the pioneer of they contain a lot of sordid sexual philosophical novels (Khing 1993:175- encounters, another reason why his books 176). However, the existentialist elements were banned. A number of his novels were labelled as Ās Ābh ās 'obscene', and women in his works seem to have been too 6 difficult for the masses and his readership readers were warned against his works. was, initially, limited to small groups of intellectuals and university students (Hak between 1956 and 1958. He later became an 2005: 36). aggressive critic of Prince Sihanouk and launched his Khmer Ekar āj newspaper to Aside from being a lover of philosophy, attack the regime. Soth was the editor of Soth had a strong interest in politics and Khmer Ekar āj before he founded his own chose to make journalism his main career. 4 newspaper (Corfield and Summers 2003: 373- 374, 401 and Soth and Sin 1982:221). 5 A good example can be seen in the case of 3 Soth began studying philosophy in his last the novel Camtit It Āsūr [Showing the year in a French lycée and majored in French Buttocks Without Pity], which criticised Prince literature when he was at Phnom Penh Sihanouk. Soth explained that the title was University. His first job after graduation was ambiguous. Camtit could mean to make love as a philosophy lecturer. In an interview, Soth or to provoke, therefore the book was like remembered that at high school, he “read offering his backside to the king who had put certain books of Sartre and Camus so many to death many intellectuals. The word Camtit times that when he wrote his own works, their could also suggest absolute indifference to the ideas came to him as if they were his own government. Readers thought the title referred works” ( May, 2004:12). to making love but the authorities knew that he 4 Soth was the nephew of Sim Var, the editor- was provoking them. In his opinion, the novel in-chief of the first Khmer language newspaper was very successful because the government Nagar Vatt which played an important role in banned it (May, 2004:14-15). 6 the nationalist movement in the 1940s. After Given that sex is a physical need was seen as independence, Sim Var was the Prime Minister perfectly natural for Khmer men but not for 77 Downloaded from Brill.com10/02/2021 04:52:06AM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities, Special Issue No.14, 2007 However, this pornographic characteristic soldiers at their village. Two years seems to have been the source of immense previously Sany and her daughter had popularity among the mass of readers: his moved from Svay Rieng to live with her “obscene” novels being reprinted many parents in Prey Veng after her husband times, each time 5,000-10,000 copies. 7 and her son were killed by the This enabled Soth to earn his living solely Vietnamese. But again, they have to from being a novelist and journalist. escape when the Vietnamese invade the However, it is not correct to assume that village and kill Sany's parents. While the author added the sex scenes in his running away, Sany and Thina stop at a writings only as a quick way to increase temple to pray to Buddha for protection. the sale of his novels. Indeed, sexual There, Thina is raped by almost 20 elements, as well as philosophical and Vietcong soldiers while Sany is hit on the political elements, are artistically head and loses consciousness. The mother interwoven in his stories and together they and daughter then come to Phnom Penh to play an important role in conveying the live with Sany's brother-in-law. While messages Soth wants to send to his there, Thina becomes a lover of Saroueun, readers. This article examines one of his a womaniser who already has a wife and short stories, Sramol Pt ī Oey..Khluon Ūn children. Sany cannot accept the Rahaek [My Dear Husband…My Body 'prostitute-like' behaviour of her daughter Was Torn Apart], which was written in the but Thina will not listen to her. One night early 1970s when the Vietnam War spilled Sany's brother-in-law comes to her room over into Cambodia. In 1973, it appeared and persuades her to become his minor in a short story collection Mara ņa: Knu ń wife because "the country is at war." Sany Tuo ń Citt [Death in the Heart] which was is confused. She cannot decide whether reprinted in October 2003. she should keep her virtue by being loyal to her husband or enjoy herself. For many Sramol Pt ī Oey..Khluon Ūn Rahaek best reasons, she eventually agrees with him reflects all the outstanding and and he promises to give her a house. controversial aspects of Soth Polin's works. Sramol Pt ī Oey..Khluon Ūn Women’s sexuality: from Rahaek tells the story of Sany and her traditional to modern literature teenage daughter, Thina, who are escaping 8 from the artillery shells fired by Vietcong Women have held an important place in 9 Cambodian society since ancient times. women and that most Khmer women were never told about sexual relations, this warning is comprehensible. 7 Another work of Soth, a short story collection latter government. As used in the Khmer Oy Ba ń Dhvoe A ī..Pa ń Dhvoe Ţaer [Whatever Republic, the term applied to South You Order Me..I Will Do It], which is very Vietnamese communist troops operating in philosophical and has no sex scene, was South Vietnam and in Cambodia as well.