Book
Phka Srapoun
Phka Srapoun (ផ្កាស្រពោន) is a Khmer novel by Nou Hach (នូ ហាច) about an arranged marriage that ends in tragedy.[1][2] Britannica gives its title as Phka srabon, "The Faded Flower", and counts it among the classic novels of its period in modern Khmer literature that have been adapted for film and are taught in schools.[1]
Publication
The novel first ran as a serial in Kambuja, a weekly newspaper, in 1947.[1] Koh Santepheap Daily's list of Nou Hach's works dates it to 1949.[2] Koh Santepheap Daily names it as the work Nou Hach is known for above all.[2]
The story
The story turns on a traditional arranged marriage. Its heroine falls fatally ill from depression after her mother insists on choosing her husband, and the novel ends in tragedy.[1]
In schools
The novel entered the secondary curriculum in Cambodia in 1958, and in 2016 it was taught in grade 8.[2] Koh Santepheap Daily writes that, half a century on, the novel has a lasting influence on Khmer readers.[2]
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