MYANMAR
ASEAN LITERATURE
MYANMAR
Myanmar , also called Burma , country, located in the western portion of
mainland Southeast Asia. In 1989 the country’s official English name, which it had
held since 1885, was changed from the Union of Burma to the Union of Myanmar;
in the Burmese language the country has been known as Myanma (or, more
precisely, Mranma Prañ) since the 13th century. The English name of the city that
served as the country’s capital from 1948 to 2006, Rangoon, also was dropped in
1989 in favour of the common Burmese name, Yangon.
Myanmar has a population of 55 million
people (2021 est.). Largest city, former capital,
and economic center of Myanmar
is Yangon (Rangoon). Since 2005 Burma's new
(administrative) capital is Naypyidaw , a
planned city in the country's central part.
There are 135 ethnic groups in the country but Rohingya Muslims are
rendered stateless and stripped of citizenship.
MODERN MYANMAR LITERATURE
Modern Myanmar literature can be said to
have had its beginnings in the 1930s when the
University of Yangon was founded and the
Department of Myanmar Studies established.
There was a new development in literature known
as the khitsan movement whose writers used a
simple and direct style that has continued to this
day.
BURMESE LITERATURE
Burmese literature was historically
influenced by Indian and Thai cultures , as
seen in many works, such as the Ramayana.
The Burmese language, unlike other
Southeast Asian languages adopted words
primarily from Pāli rather than from Sanskrit.
COLONIAL PERIOD
When Burma became a colony of British India, Burmese literature continued t
o flourish, even though the institution of the Burmese monarchy, the leading patr
on of Burmese arts and literature in pre-colonial times, had been dismantled. Engl
ish literature was still relatively inaccessible although both English and Burmese, i
n a curriculum called Anglo-Vernacular, was now taught in schools
Despite the fact that Burmese literature was well entrenched in Burmese
culture, the lack of patrons to support literature slowed its further devel
opment. The colonial period marked a tremendous change in Burmese lit
erature, which had once been patronized and innovated by members of t
he royal court, and was now being led by civilians such as university stu
dents.
PRE-COLONIAL PERIOD
After independence in 1948, Burmese literature developed further t
o adopt and assimilate Western styles of writing. A year earlier, the Bur
mese Translation Society, a government-subsidized organization, was fo
unded to translate foreign works, especially those related to the fields
of science and technology.
The socialist government, like the previous civilian government, was a patron of Burmese litera
ture, believing "enriching literature" to be a goal of socialist democracies, as outlined in the Re
volutionary Council's "System of Correlation of Man and his Environment".
However, censorship and promotion of socialist ideology became important aims of the govern
ment, in regulating literature, as seen in the reorganization of the Ministry of Information, whi
ch censored works according to three primary objectives that aimed to promote socialism:
MYANMAR FICTION
Artist: Myint Maung Kyaw Artist: Tin Maung Oo Mandalay Artist: Ma Hmwe
The Kindergarten The Wedding
Reception Close Proximity
Teacher
(A true story) by: Nyi Pu Lay by: Journal Kyaw Ma
by: Aung Thin Ma Lay
FAMOUS
WRITERS
Aung Thin was a Lifetime National Literary Award-winning writer in Myanmar (Burma)
known for his continuous encouraging of youth to become a righteous man. His first
article, Breaking Thayet Prison was printed in Myawaddy Magazine in 1959. He became a
tutor at Rangoon University (University of Yangon) in 1962 but he refused to join Burma
Socialist Programme Party. He worked for Mawlamyaing Degree College, Defence Services
Academy and the University of Yangon as a lecturer in the 1960s and 1970s. He wrote
more than 50 books on genres of ethical conducts, cultural knowledge and motivation of
youth inspiration. He was awarded with lifetime National Literary Award in 2012.
He was one of the founders of Free Funeral Service Society of Yangon together
with Thukha and Kyaw Thu in 2001. He died on 25 October 2014 at San Chaung, Yangon.
Nyi Pu Lay is the youngest son of respected dissident writers and journalists Ludu U
Hla and Ludu Daw Ama, from Mandalay, Burma. He has published over 10 books of
selected short stories, a travel diary, and two novels. In 2011 he became a member of
the National Press Award Committee , an independent organization of Myanmar
journalists.
But Nyi Pu Lay is not only interested in literature; he is also a photographer. His latest
interest is performance art and he has said that there is a great need for expressing
the nation’s needs through performance art. Nyi Pu Lay, who strives to use art forms to
express our current situation, has named this historical period in Burma “dusk.” People
feel Burma has changed in a way, but people in Western and Eastern Burma are
suffering because of the conflicts there.
Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay (also known as Ma Ma Le and Ma Ma Lei) was born Ma Tin
Hlaing in Karmaklu Village, Ayeyarwady Division in 1917. She published articles in the
newspapers and then married the editor of the newspaper Myanma Alin. When her
husband died, when she was only twenty-nine, she continued publishing the
newspaper and even started another one. However, the cost and right-wing opposition
meant that she could not continue but she did continue a career as a writer. She
published nearly twenty books and many articles. She also worked in and wrote on
traditional medicine. She is widely acknowledged as one of the greatest Burmese
writers of 20th century. Her stories are known for authentic portrayals of modern
Burmese society. Along with Ludu Daw Amar, Ma Ma Lay was one of a few female
authors in Burma.
