Cambodia — The Book Roads

Books from Cambodia

Haing S. Ngor

Survival in the Killing Fields is the harrowing memoir of Haing S. Ngor, a Cambodian doctor who survived the brutal rule of the Khmer Rouge between 1975 and 1979. Before the regime took power, Ngor worked as a physician and lived with his wife in Phnom Penh. Under the new government, educated professionals were persecuted, cities were emptied, and millions of Cambodians were forced into labour camps, where starvation, disease, torture, and execution became part of everyday life. Ngor recounts his experiences of forced labour, imprisonment, and the desperate struggle to stay alive while concealing his medical training. He also describes the devastating loss of his wife and the collapse of the life he had once known. After the Khmer Rouge regime fell, he eventually escaped Cambodia and resettled in the United States. His memoir offers a firsthand account of one of the darkest periods in Cambodian history. It is both a testimony to the suffering inflicted on ordinary people and a reflection on the resilience required to survive war, persecution, and profound personal loss.

2003

Famous authors from Cambodia

Haing S. Ngor

1 book

About Cambodia

Cambodia is a Southeast Asian country known for its tropical landscapes, Mekong River, Tonlé Sap Lake, and extraordinary Khmer architectural heritage. Its cultural identity is deeply connected to Theravada Buddhism and the legacy of the ancient Khmer Empire, whose most famous monument is Angkor Wat.

Region: Asia

Literary Context

Cambodian literature has deep roots in oral storytelling, Buddhist teachings, legends, poetry, and royal traditions. Classical works often drew on Hindu and Buddhist mythology, while folk tales preserved history and moral values through generations. Modern Cambodian literature was profoundly affected by French colonialism, independence, the Khmer Rouge period, and the decades of conflict that followed. Writers have explored memory, trauma, family, displacement, and the challenge of preserving culture after enormous social upheaval. Contemporary Cambodian writing increasingly examines war and remembrance, diaspora, identity, modernization, and the relationship between traditional Khmer culture and contemporary life.