Khmer Writers Association

Khmer Writers Association
សមាគមអ្នកនិពន្ធខ្មែរ
AbbreviationKWA
Founded1954
TypeNon-governmental organization
HeadquartersSt. 244, Phnom Penh, Cambodia

The Khmer Writers Association (KWA; Khmer: សមាគមអ្នកនិពន្ធខ្មែរ, ស.អ.ខ.), also known as the Association of Khmer Writers,[1] the Association des Ecrivains Khmers,[2] or the Association of Cambodian Writers,[3] was established in 1954[4] or 1956,[5] and re-established in 1993 as a non-governmental organization.[4] Formerly located at 465 Monivong Blvd,[2] it is currently located at St. 244, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.[6]

The organization encourages and promotes writing while offering training programs and competitions.[4] Its authors try to promote a new direction to literature, introducing new themes, such as the abandonment of morality incompatible with modern life; developing new genres, such as theatre nouveau;[7] and providing translations, such as The Arabian Nights, as part of a "didactic and diverse" genre.[8] According to Smyth, the establishment of the KWA helped complete the "institutionalization of Khmer literature" as, through the 1960s, it became the vehicle for writing and publishing textbooks on Khmer literature and literary criticism.[5] In the 2000s, the organization's focus has shifted; it provides training programs for writing poetry and film screenplays.[9]

  1. ^ Ollier, p. xv
  2. ^ a b Hobbs, Cecil (1960). Southeast Asia publication sources: an account of a field trip, 1958-1959. Southeast Asia Program, Dept. of Far Eastern Studies, Cornell University. p. 51. ISBN 9780598718693. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  3. ^ Chee, Tham Seong (1981). Essays on Literature and Society in Southeast Asia: Political and Sociological Perspectives. NUS Press. pp. 80–. ISBN 978-9971-69-036-6. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  4. ^ a b c Jarvis, Helen; Afranis, Peter; et al. (December 2002). "Publishing in Cambodia - A Survey and Report" (PDF). Phnom Penh: Commissioned by the Publishing in Cambodia Project Co-Sponsored by the Center for Khmer Studies, Reyum Institute & the Toyota Foundation. pp. 36, 40. Archived from the original (PDF) on 28 July 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  5. ^ a b Smyth, David (2000). The canon in Southeast Asian literatures: literatures of Burma, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand and Vietnam. Psychology Press. pp. 144–. ISBN 978-0-7007-1090-4. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  6. ^ "Khmer Writers Association". tourismcambodia.com. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  7. ^ Phœun, Mak (1998). "Khing Hoc Dy : Écrivains et expressions littéraires du Cambodge au XXe s. Contribution à l'histoire de la littérature khmère". Bulletin de l'École française d'Extrême-Orient (BEFEO) (in French). 2 (85): 496. ISSN 0336-1519.
  8. ^ Cite error: The named reference Hansen2007 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  9. ^ Cite error: The named reference culturalprofiles.net was invoked but never defined (see the help page).