Keng Vannsak | |
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កេង វ៉ាន់សាក់ | |
![]() Vannsak in Paris, France in 2005 | |
Born | |
Died | 18 December 2008 Montmorency, France | (aged 83)
Citizenship |
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Education | University of Caen Normandy |
Occupations |
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Political party | Democratic[1] |
Spouse | Suzanne Colleville |
Keng Vannsak (Khmer: កេង វ៉ាន់សាក់, Kéng Vănsăk [keːŋ ʋansak]; 19 September 1925 – 18 December 2008) was a Cambodian scholar, philosopher and Khmer linguist. He invented the Khmer typewriter keyboard in 1952.[2] He lived in exile in Paris, France, from 1970 until his death in 2008. He died at the age of eighty-three at the hospital of Montmorency[3] in the outskirts of Paris after suffering from a chronic illness.
In modern Cambodia, Vannsak is known for being one of the influential figures for the next generations of Cambodian scholars and intellectuals. He left behind him a legacy in literature, including two drama plays, short stories, many poems and his research from the 1940s.[4]
Politically left-wing, he was a member of the radical Democratic Party, and stood unsuccessfully as its MP candidate in the 1955 elections.[1] He was also a friend and mentor of Saloth Sar (later known as Pol Pot) while both of them were studying in Paris.[5]
Along with Iv Koeus and Khuon Sokhamphu, Keng Vannsak was one of the three pioneers of Khmer linguistics and grammar.[6]
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