Mey Son Sotheary

Mey Son Sotheary, born 1977, is a Cambodian writer of fiction and nonfiction. She is best known for short stories exploring the effects of economic and social changes, particularly on women, young people, and migrant workers.

Works Her fiction has focused on the social effects of rapid political and economic changes, particularly as they affect women and young people.

Her story “Why?” describes a boy’s decision to turn to robbery to support his family and its consequences.

Her nonfiction work includes the book Tumroam Klay Chea Neak Nipunth (“Before becoming a writer"), a guide for aspiring Khmer authors.

Career Mey began publishing as a teenager in 1993, when her short fiction appeared in Rasmei Kampuchia Daily, Cambodia’s most widely circulated daily newspaper, and in the popular magazine Procheaprai.

She was one of the first published Khmer writers to come from the "new generation", i.e. those who did not personally remember the regime of Pol Pot.

She has also worked in television broadcasting, and for the Women’s Media Centre of Cambodia, an NGO that works to improve the participation and representation of women in mainstream Khmer media.