Every now and then I wonder about the way ghosts come back to us. April 17th is significant to the Cambodians for the fall of Phnom Penh and the beginning of the Khmer Rouge Era (ruling from 1975-1979 and continuing an insurgency for 20 years until 1999) This year, I'd been looking at a strange magazine in my library, a 1942 issue of Harper's that I don't recall buying, but it just showed up in my boxes.
I'd been looking at a T.S. Eliot essay on the verse of Rudyard Kipling with some morbid fascination and flipping around came upon a poem, "Omen" by the late Edward Weismiller from Wisconsin who had quite a storied career. He was the youngest poet to win the prestigious Yale Series of Younger Poets prize, and went on to serve in World War 2 in the newly-formed OSS, requested to assist in counter-espionage. All fascinating stuff worth a read, but what it lead to was the note that he had been asked "to translate the first award-winning novel of Franco-Khmer poet Makhali-Phal into English. La Favorite de dix ans was published in New York in 1942 as The Young Concubine. In 2008, Professor Weismiller began advising a literary team working to produce an updated version of his original translation incorporating cultural background material unavailable in 1941."
As a novel, "The Young Concubine" tells the story of Atman, a young Cambodian princess who believes she is destined to carry the burden of the universe. The narrative is rich with elements of mysticism, ritual, and the clash of cultures, as Atman navigates her relationships with her father, his concubine, and her uncle. The novel delves into her struggles with love, spirituality, and her quest for identity, ultimately leading her back to the jungle where she meets a tragic fate at the hands of sorcerers. You can read the original New York Times review from 1942 here if you have the TimesMachine or the Kirkus review from 1942. The Young Concubine updated translation does not yet seem to have been published, but it seems like something to follow up soon.
In France a website formed to bring her back into consideration but it's gone defunct since. They included a presumed portrait of her. There's a 1933 photo of her, but much about her seems to have been a mystery.
In 2010, her poetry collection Song of Peace was published by Datasia, Inc. with the introductory text "In 1898, a Franco-Khmer child was born in Cambodia whose very blood combined the opposing worlds of Europe and Asia. As an author, she devoted her life to expressing the conflict, harmony and hope inherent in these powerful forces. Her name was Makhali-Phal. Song of Peace is her timeless poem of inspiration and self-awareness for all humankind, but especially for those seeking to understand the essence of East and West. Through Makhali-Phal's visionary words, ancient Khmer souls speak again, sharing their wisdom in ways that resonate in our modern era. This new edition includes the first English translation of her epic poem Chant de Paix with complete original French text, the first published biography of the author by Sara Elizabeth Harris, and exclusive personal photos of Makhali-Phal."
She passed away ten years before the fall of Cambodia in Pau, near the French and Spanish border in the Pyrenees. Perhaps some other colleagues of mine can expand more on her story, but I think there's some things to be interested in here in regards to her imagination and the way she worked through her heritage and sense of self during the French Indochina era. Let me know what you think!
