Maung Yin Maung and Ma Me Ma by James Hla Gyaw is widely regarded as the first novel written by a citizen of Myanmar, and yet in the introduction to the first English translation produced in 2014, it is described as ‘a novel being the first in the language.’
Despite his prominence as the author of the first true novel in the Burmese language, too little is known of James Hla Gyaw’s life. He was born on the 21st June 1866 in Shwegyin in Bago Region to Buddhist parents who died when he was just a child. Adopted by his aunt, he converted to Christianity […]
James Hla Gyaw wrote himself into history with his story of ‘Maung Yin Maung and Ma Me Ma’. Prior to its publication, literature in Myanmar was the reserve of monasteries and palaces …