Possibly the first novel written by a writer from an ethnic community, certainly to first to have been translated into English, The Lonely Land was originally written in the Lai Hakka language …
and follows the trials of a small village in the Chin Hills as it copes with isolation, the loss of its youth and the transition from the animist traditions to a Christian faith. It is no easy task to write nor translate a novel, especially when it is the first in your language and Joel Ling Richard Zatu should feel pride in what they have achieved.
Title: The Lonely Land
Author: Joel Ling,
Translator: Richard Zatu
Published: 2018
(Sadaik Shorts is a series of very short reviews of fiction and non-fiction from Myanmar writers in English)
