The eponymous hero is then sent to further his studies in Phnom Penh where he resides at Wat Ounalom, and befriends Narin, after he defends him from being bullied by others.
[7] Sophat, impregnated with Buddhist morality, has been republished many times and had a profound influence on the development of literature in Cambodia in the second half of the 20th century.
Sometimes naive, but always lucid with regard to the society it describes, it is very characteristic of contemporary Khmer novels which, through often incredible adventures, forcefully denounce the flaws of successive regimes.
In a context in which the Chbab Srey was still very influential and taught in both private houses and public schools, Sophat depicts both the repression endured by Cambodian women at that time and the ripple effects that this treatment could have on all of society.
[8] This tale begins with the abandonment of a pregnant young woman by the well-to-do, high-ranking father of her unborn child, who goes to Phnom Penh for work.