Book
Kulap Pailin
Kulap Pailin ("The Rose of Pailin") is a Khmer novel by Nhok Them, set in the gem-mining country of Pailin (ប៉ៃលិន).[1][2] It is one of the early classics of Khmer literature, and it was later taught in schools and made into films.[1][3]
Publication
The novel first came out in installments in the magazine Kambujasuriya in 1943.[1][2] Another account dates it to 1936, among the first Khmer prose novels of the late 1930s.[3] In that period writers often paid the printing costs themselves, so many works were first published as serials.[3] The title is also spelled Koulap Pailin and Kolap Pailin, and the author's name Nuk Thaim.[3][2]
Story
A poor, hard-working gem miner wins the mine owner's daughter as his bride.[1] He first shows his courage and honesty, partly by saving her life.[1] The story deals with love, morals and social class, and with arranged marriage set against the couple's love for each other.[2]
Schools, film and comic
Kulap Pailin became a school text, and popular film versions followed.[1][3] It is still widely read in Cambodian schools.[2] In August 2000 Reyum Publications issued a comic book version, a 60-page softcover credited to Huol Sophon.[2]
References 3
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