Prior to the 1930s, all Khmer novels were written in verse. That is not to suggest that Khmers did not write in prose before then; prose was exclusively employed for technical texts, medical treatises, astrology treatises, political and religious treaties, and the translation of Buddhist literature.
Lpaen, or verse-novel, has long been a prominent genre in Khmer literature. French colonists in the 19th century would gather around the village halls in the evenings to listen to a recitation of an lpaen. Recitation is sometimes accompanied by a string instrument. With up to 9,000 stanzas, some of the verse novels are rather lengthy, and they would take at least two nights to recite. Some could be mistaken for epic poems.
Verse-novels initially appeared in the mid-17th century, with Hang Yont (Mechanical Swan) widely regarded as the first. Since some of these novels were written in the style of Jātaka, which includes the customary preface benediction in Pali to the Buddha, the Dhamma (Buddha's teaching), the Sangha (ordained monks and nuns), and the epilogue comprising the characters' future lives, it was sometimes assumed that the majority of these novels were Jātaka (tales of the Buddha's previous lives). However, the majority of these works had little to do with Buddhism, if any at all. If anything, they had everything to do with Brahmanism, even after Theravada Buddhism had fully superseded Hinduism by the 16th century. In Preah Ko Preah Keo, for instance, the protagonist Preah Ko was the manifestation of Lord Shiva's mount, Nandi the Bull. Several of these stories were folktales retold in poetry form. Vorvong and Sourivong was based on a popular folktale, which itself was based on the adventures of two condemned Khmer princely brothers.
A typical story began with the birth of a prince. Then the monarch was upset by a "flaw" in the infant prince, or a jealous concubine accused him of some wrongdoing; in Khyan Sankh, the prince was born with a shell connected to him. The prince and his mother were sentenced to execution. But at the last second, the executioner decided to spare mother and child and let them go. The mother and child encountered a powerful sage, who accepted the child as a disciple. The aspiring hero studied martial and magical arts. Later, he set forth on his many adventures in the Himalayas. Along the way, he defeated giants and the semi-divine yaksha, saved a princess or two, married, and inherited a kingdom. Finally, the hero returned to his birthplace with his new army to either seize the crown by force or reconcile with his father.
The hero fought with both physical and magical means. He traveled by air via a mechanical bird (usually a swan), but his transport wasn’t always reliable. His mechanical bird failed and dropped him in the ocean, often in the middle of a storm. The hero was accompanied by an animal. In Preah Jinavong, the main character Jinavong travels with a mischievous monkey. The horse in Puthhisaen Neang Kang Rei irritably warned the hero not to waste time, or he, the horse, would leave without him. However, the heroines weren't usually the typical damsels in distress. Ket Soryong was a skilled practitioner of both magic and martial arts in Sovannahang. Along with a giant, she had her own adventures, saving the hero from impending death. Kang Rei led her own army in Puthhisaen Neang Kang Rei. In Preah Jinavong, a pregnant Botum Surya traveled alone on a white elephant in search of her husband.
Yaksha, garudas, and giants were not always depicted as uncivilized creatures. They didn't go around snatching princesses or feasting on men. Citra, the giant king in Sovannahang, governed both giants and humans in a benevolent manner. In Khyan Sankh, the hero was brought up as a son by a yaksha. She doted on him. She was saddened when he decided to leave her to look for his biological mother. She gave him three magical gifts and died from a broken heart. The naga king in Sankh Silp Jay was a loving husband to his human wife. Jinavong in Preah Jinavong was raised by the underworld king.
The Gods were involved, too. Lord Shiva granted wishes to various characters. He instructed Vishwakarma, the celestial architect and engineer, to construct splendid palaces for the heroes. Lord Indra often offered the destitute heroines a helping hand. In Moranak Meada, Lord Indra showed the heroine how to transform herself from a sarika bird back into her human form. The lonely young man in Bhogakula Kumar had only a white dog for company; Lord Indra bestowed upon the young man a Himalayan deity as a wife. Magic was used throughout. An ax that was about to come down on the hero’s neck would suddenly turn into a bouquet of flowers. Baby girls were often found in flowers. Baby Kaki was found in a lotus blossom by a sage in Kaki. Oracles were aplenty. They wielded immense power when it came to dream interpretations. In Rajakul, the oracle told the king that the horse wanted to marry the princess. It turned out the horse was a fine man. The oracle in Sudham wanted his own daughter to marry the prince, and while the prince was away, he declared that the prince’s fiancée had to be sacrificed to avert catastrophe.
Some stories did not follow the aforementioned narrative devices and themes. Some dealt with animals. Bejjata is a story about a pair of birds who were threatened by a forest fire. The female would not leave her eggs. She died thinking her male had abandoned her while he was away. Before following her into the fire, the male prayed that they may reunite in their next lives. She was reborn as a princess who spoke to no males. He was a man who taught her how to speak.
Another story that rejected the traditional formula is Tum Teav, which is a tragic love story about a doomed affair between Tum, a handsome novice monk, and Teav, a beautiful adolescent girl who was “literally” on the cusp of womanhood. Tum Teav is based on a real story. It is believed to have taken place in the late 16th century in Tbong Khmom district, in present-day Kampong Cham province. There are many versions of the story, which were composed by various poets over the centuries.
These verse-novels remain popular among the general public. Some have been adapted for a variety of entertainment mediums, including ballets, films, folk and classical theaters, songs, comic books, and radio dramas. Sovannahang, Khyan Sankh, and Preah Jinavong are very popular among the ballet repertoires. Tum Teav, probably the most popular of all the verse-novels, is part of the secondary school curriculum.
Stories mentioned above:
Khyan Sankh (Shell Shell) by Min Uk, 1729
Hang Yont (Mechanical Swan) by Yam Punybhaktr, 1668
Sovannahang (Golden Swan) author unknown, mid-17th century
Preah Jinavong (Lord Jinavong) by Hing, 1856
Preah Ko Preah Keo by Kao, 18th century
Vorvong and Sourivong by various authors, 19th century
Puthhisaen Neang Kang Rei, author and date unknown
Sankh Silp Jay by Uk, 1882
Moranak Meada (Mother’s Death) by Uk 1877
Bhogakula Kumar by Kleang Norng, 1804
Rajakul by Varapanna, early 18th century
Kaki by King Ang Duong, 1815
Mea Yoen (Our Uncle) author and date unknown
Bejjata by Dhammapanna Maen, 1858
Sudham author and date unknown. Based on Sudhana Jataka in Pali
Source: The Traditional Literature of Cambodia: A Preliminary Guide by Judith M. Jacob
