Theam Teng Ly
Ly Theam Teng លីធាមតេង 李添丁 [also Li Dham Ten] (15 May 1930, Kompong Siem District — 1978, captive of the Khmer Rouge) was a Sino-Khmer researcher and author who wrote many essays and novels that became Cambodian literature classics, and authored the first Khmer translation of Zhou Daguan’s 13th century account Zhenla and Its People, a work he considered as “sacred”, since it is the only written relation of Angkor during the Khmer relation.
As a young reaseacher at Phnom Penh Buddhist Institute, he was remarked by ethnologist Éveline Porée-Maspéro, who appointed him at the Commission for the Study of the Cambodian Mores and Customs. Later, Ly Theam Teng founded the Khmer Writers Association, with its bi-monthly publication Ecrivains Khmers (“Khmer Writers”), and contributed to the first Cambodian journal of literary studies, Kambuja suriyā - a monthly publication of the Buddhist Institute.
With a solid knowledge of Chinese, Vietnamese and French literature, Ly Theam Teng was active on the international scene, attending the 1958 Afro-Asian Writers’ Conference in Tashkent (then USSR) as part of the non-aligned movement encouraged by Prince Sihanouk. In 1962, he was invited to China by the China Writers Association, which gave him the opportunity of meeting with Chinese writers such as Yang Shuo, and of perusing older editions of Zhou Daguan’s travelogue.
Before the Khmer Rouge takeover in 1975, had published a biography of Khmer poet Krom Ngoy (1966), collected oral traditions in the Siem Reap area, and achieved the first comprehensive history of Cambodian literature, Outline of Khmer Literature Development (1972). He published his work on Zhou Daguan in 1972, later reprinted in various editions and now available in digital format at Angkor Database.
Married to Ly Thirak (maiden name Eam Kim Houy 穗金惠), with whom he had five children, Ly Theam Teng was arrested by the Khmer Rouge in 1975 and died of exhaustion in 1978. After the war, his widow and one of their sons helped researcher and translator Uk Solang to find his preparatory notes for his translation of Zhou Daguan, as he was studying the Khmer phonetic origin of certain terms used by the Chinese chronicler.
Ly Theam Teng’s contribution has been highlighted by Cambodian scholars such as Khing Hoc Dy. Since 2021, a Center for Khmer Studies (CKS) research unit is working on his legacy.
Publications
- រឿង រំដួលភ្នំគូលេន, ប្រលោមលោក [Romduol Phnom Kulen, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៥៤ (Phnom Penh, 1954)
- រឿង រស្មីចិត្ត, ប្រលោមលោក [Reaksmey Chet, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៥៥(១៩៥៤) (Phnom Penh, 1954, published 1955)
- រឿង ព្រះបរមរាជា, ប្រលោមលោក [The King’s Story, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៥៥ (Phnom Penh, 1955)
- រឿង សិរីស្វេតច្ឆត្រ, ប្រលោមលោក [Srey Svetchhat, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៥៥, (១៩៥៤) (Phnom Penh, 1954, published 1955)
- រឿង សុបិន្តពេលយប់, ប្រលោមលោក [Night Dreams, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៥៥ (Phnom Penh, 1955)
- ពង្សាវតារខ្មែរសង្ខេប, សិក្សាកថា [A Brief Khmer Genealogy, study] ១៩៥៩ (Phnom Penh, 1959)
- អក្សរសាស្រ្តខ្មែរ, សិក្សាកថា [Khmer Literature, study] ១៩៦០ (Phnom Penh, 1960)
- ពង្សាវតារប្រទេសកម្ពុជា, សិក្សាកថា [Chronicles of Cambodia, study] ១៩៦៤ (Phnom Penh, 1964)
- រឿងភ្នំស្រីវិបុលកេរ្តិ៍(ខេត្តសៀមរាប) [Phnom Srey Vibol Ker, Siem Reap], editor
- រឿង ឆ្លងពពកស្អាប់, ប្រលោមលោក [Dark Clouds, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៦៦ (Phnom Penh, 1966)
- រឿង នារី និងបុប្ផា, ប្រលោមលោក [The Story of Neary and Bopha, novel] ភ្នំពេញ, ១៩៦៧ (Phnom Penh, 1967)
- Edited text of និរាសនគរវត្ត Niras Nokor Wat, Kampuchea Suriya, Phnom Penh,1967
- វិវត្តន៍នៃអក្សរសាស្រ្តខ្មែរ, សិក្សាកថា [Evolution of Khmer Literature, study] ១៩៧២ (1972)
- អ្នកនិពន្ធខ្មែរ ដែលមានឈ្មោះល្បី [Famous Khmer Writers, eversion at elibrary of cambodia]
- កំណត់ហេតុរបស់ជីតាក្វាន់ អំពីប្រពៃណីនៃអ្នកស្រុកចេនឡា [Zhiv Takwan Diary, translation], Phnom Penh, 1972 – 1973 (3d edition)]
- សៀវភៅ អ្នកនិពន្ធល្បីឈ្មោះរបស់ខ្មែរ, សិក្សាកថា [Outline of Khmer Literature Development, study], ភ្នំពេញ, ឆ្នាំ១៩៧២ (Phnom Penh, 1972)