Soth Polin | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Soth Polin in Long Beach (April 2017) | |
| Born | February 9, 1943 Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia, French Indochina |
| Occupation |
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| Language | Khmer and French |
| Nationality | Cambodian |
| Citizenship | United States |
| Notable works | The Anarchist, A Bored Man, We Die Only Once, Dead Heart |
Soth Polin (Khmer: សុទ្ធ ប៉ូលីន) is a famous Cambodian writer. He was born in the hamlet of Chroy Thmar,[1] Kampong Siem District, Kampong Cham Province, Cambodia. His maternal great-grandfather was the poet Nou Kan (who wrote Teav-Ek, ទាវឯក, a version of Tum Teav, the masterpiece of Khmer love poetry).[2] He grew up speaking both French and Khmer. Throughout his youth, he immersed himself in the classical literature of Cambodia and, at the same time, the literature and philosophy of the West.
His first novel, A Meaningless Life, published in 1965 (he was 22 years old), was strongly influenced by Nietzsche, Freud, Sartre and Buddhist philosophy. It was an enormous success. Numerous novels and short stories followed, among them The Adventurer With No Goal, A Bored Man, We Die Only Once, and Dead Heart.[3] He also worked as a journalist in Khmer Ekareach (The Independent Khmer), the newspaper of his uncle, Sim Var, and in the late 1960s, he founded (with Sin Kim Suy) his own newspaper and publishing house, Nokor Thom (នគរធំ / The Great Kingdom). He was a militant nationalist who was both anti-Sihanouk and anti-communist.[4] Through his newspaper, he supported the pro-American government of General Lon Nol before finally distancing himself and suddenly taking refuge in France in 1974, after the assassination of his friend, Thach Chea, the Deputy Minister of Education.[5]
His father and two of his brothers died during the Khmer Rouge regime. He worked in Paris as a taxi driver and published his dark cult novel The Anarchist, written in French.[6] Later he and his two sons moved to the West Coast of the United States, where he now resides. His brother-in-law is Mam Sonando.
