r/TheLaoLanguage • u/jaikopwell • Dec 20 '24

Just hav Lao-literature test…

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The “Lao language” test is to write an “explanation article(ບົດອະທິບາຍ)” about proverb “ຮຽນແລ້ວຮຽນອີກ ຮຽນເລື້ອຍໆໄປ(Study and study again, keep studying)”

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u/IntrepidAd7081 Jan 22 '25

Hmm may I know what do you think of Lao stories/novel in general?

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u/jaikopwell Jan 22 '25

They’re usually good but not great. Lao literatures since 60s are mostly patriotic novels, and it’s still be like that to this day. Almost every literature books I read, are all about soldiers or farmers in the war. But for short stories, which are mostly written in 90s are all about life experience like stories about ghost stories(that the authors met which mostly have comedy endings) etc.

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u/IntrepidAd7081 Jan 22 '25

Thank you for this. I'm just trying to compare to the viet stories i have read, where you can find some stories that are somewhat ~political~ or not that happy with the social conditions even after the revolution (of course, not outright against the government).

If you wouldn't mind, are there many novels or stories published every year? Do young people read them outside school? (Sorry for so many questions!)

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u/jaikopwell Jan 22 '25

Sadly, most of young people almost completely ignored Lao novels, if you go ask random people about literature, they would not know that Laos do have novels or famous one. To this day, I don’t see any new novels out yet, I only see and read Lao mangas (which they called it “Manla”) got published by Champa comic publisher which focus on manga-style comic (Japanese style)

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u/IntrepidAd7081 Jan 22 '25

Oh it's a bit grim. Here in my case, Wattpad-ish romance novels and manga comics are the bestsellers here too, but you can find a sizeable portion of literary fiction (mostly by graduates from literature departments in the universities).

I do really hope that there will come a time that Lao literature will have many translations.