Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
BOOKS
Myanmar has a rich English-language literary heritage dating back to colonial times,
when authors from quintessential Empire tub-thumper Rudyard Kipling through to
anti-imperialist freethinker George Orwell penned various poems, essays, travelogues
and novels about the country. Post-independence literature largely focuses on the des-
perate plight of the country under military rule - often sombre reading, but offering
unparalleled insights into life under the generals. Sadly, there's virtually no Burmese
literature available in translation, although Burmese authors writing in English have
provided a handful of excellent memoirs, histories and other works. All the following
titles are widely available overseas, although less easily obtainable in Myanmar itself.
Particularly recommended titles are marked with a symbol.
LITERATURE
Amitav Ghosh
The Glass Palace.
Set in Burma, India and Malaya, this acclaimed his-
torical novel follows the fortunes of four Indian and Burmese families (including that of the
exiledKingThibaw)duringthesixtumultuousdecadesbetweenthefallofMandalayin1885
and the end of World War II. Essential Burmese reading.
RudyardKipling
Barrack-Room Ballads
;
From Sea to Sea
.RudyardKipling'sentire exper-
ience of Burma consisted of brief visits to Rangoon and Moulmein (Mawlamyine) during a
sea journey from India to the US in 1889 - which didn't stop him from leaving a heavy liter-
ary mark on the land. Originally published in
Barrack-Room Ballads
, “Mandalay” (which he
never visited) remains the most famous poem ever written about the country, though Burma
appears in several other poems and short stories. An account of his 1889 visit can be found
in
From Sea to Sea
, which is also the source of his endlessly repeated quote: “This is Burma,
and it will be quite unlike any land you know”.
Daniel Mason
The Piano Tuner
. Bestselling novel by American writer Daniel Mason, set in
1886 and telling the story of piano tuner Edgar Drake, despatched to the remote Shan States
to repair the Érard grand of an eccentric army doctor - full of convincing historical detail,
and a very enjoyable read.
George Orwell
Burmese Days
. Orwell's classic critique of British colonialism has its mo-
ments, although it's a turgid read at times, with heavy-handed satire and cast of profoundly
unsympathetic and largely one-dimensional characters who are little more than mouthpieces
forOrwell'santi-imperialistic screed.BurmaalsoappearsintwoofOrwell'smostcelebrated
essays, “A Hanging” and “Shooting an Elephant”, both of which say more about the canker
of empire in just a few pages than
Burmese Days
manages in its entire length.
