DOCSLIB.ORG

SOME MYANMAR HISTORICAL FICTION and Theffi

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
SOME MYANMAR HISTORICAL FICTION and Theffi SOME MYANMAR set up by King Bagyidaw (1819-1837) in 1829 and the Konbaung-zet Maha 3 HISTORICAL FICTION Yazawin-daw-gy i , compiled by U AND THEffi lllSTORICAL Maung Maung Tin (KSM). We have CONTEXT* also used some local histories like the Taungoo Yazawin 4 and the Than-/yin 5 Yazawi , and a historical text compiled U Than Htut & and translated from non - Myanmar U Thaw Kaung ** languages, the Pawtugi Yazawin 6 (History of the Portuguese, with special We read through a number ofMyanmar reference to Asia and Myanmar).novel historical novels and selected a few for was published to year presentation in our paper. The historical novels we are giving as examples of The historical fiction which we have Myanmar historical fiction have been examined are mainly novels written from checked with some of the main texts of 1919, when the first Myanmar historical Myanmar history. novel was published, to year 2000, a period of about 80 years. Our paper is The Myanmar historical texts we have by no means a survey of this genre in used are a few original inscriptions our country; there are already a few (mainly on lithic I stone), and also the such accounts in the Myanmar 7 old chronicles like U Kala's (c. 1714- language . 1733) Maha Yazawin-gyi 1 the Hman­ nan Maha Yazawin (The Glass Palace For the historian, original texts are the Chronic!ep, compiled by a commission most important sources, but even contemporary stone inscriptions like the well-known inscriptions of King Kyan- * This paper was read at an international Conference on Texts and Contexts in 4 Taungoo Yazawin ; compiled by Shin Southeast Asia, held in Yangon, Dec. 200 I. Nyana-thikhan-gyi; ed. by Saya Pwa. The subject of our paper is Myanmar (Taungoo: Kayturnadi Press, 1924). historical fiction. 5 Than-/yin Yazawin. [History of Syriam]. **Members of the Myanmar Historical Yangon: Thitsawardi Thadinsa Press, 1925. Commission and retired ChiefLibrarians (T.H. 6 Pawtugi Yazawin . (Yangon: Thuriya Press, of the National Library, a.M T.K. of the 1918). Written in early 19th century by Father Universities Central Library.) Ignazio de Brito and Johannes Moses, 1 U kala. Maha Yazawin-gyi .... Burma a.k. a. Baba Sheen. Research Society ed. (Yangon: 7 See ( 1) Paragu (U Hla Kyaing), "Tharnaing Hanthawaddy, 1960-1961) (reprint). 3v. nauk-khan Myanmar wuthtu," [Myanmar Burma Research Society ed., edited by Saya novels with historical backgrounds] i.!! Pwa, 2 vols. 1" published v.1 (1926); v.2 Wuthtu shay sardan mya [Papers on (1932); v.3 1" pub.1961 ed. byUKhinsoe. Novels]. Vol. 1. (Yangon: Sarpay Beikrnan, 2 Hman-nan Maha Yazawin-daw-gyi ... 1981) p. 76-128. (The Glass Palace Chronicle). Mandalay: (2) Tin Htun, U Yazawin saing-yar Mandalay Pitaka Book Depot, 1936. 3 vols. Myanmar wuthtu mya (1885-1947) 3 Konbaung-zet Maha Yazawin-daw gyi ... [Myanmar novels about history]. (Yangon: 3rded. (Yangon: Ledi Mandaing Press, 1968). University of Yangon, 1982). Unpublished 3v. 1•• published. 1921. M.A. in Myanmar Literature thesis. 389 p. Downloaded from Brill.com10/07/2021 08:54:07PM via free access MANUSYA: Journal of Humanities (Special Issue. No.5.2003) zittha (AD 1084-1112), where, in giving To write a good historical novel needs his genealogy, the King wrote that he the painstaking research ofthe historian, was related to Rama (an avatar of the the keen analysis and dramatic instinct Hindu God Vishnu) in a previous of the novelist, together with "a gift of existence, contain what would now be creative imagination that can infuse life regarded as legendary tales which are into the dust of yesterday. " 10 fictitious. Aldous Huxley who read The Glass Palace Chronicle (the parts Some historical fiction are actually mostly on Bagan, translated into English satires masquerading with a plot and by U Pe Muang tin and Prof. G. H. characters of the past to parody what is Luce) remarked rather harshly that "it happening in the present. We find this is a collection of fabulous anecdotes." 8 in some of the historical novels ofMaha Swe which were written to criticize the We have compared some historical British during colonial times. texts with their relevant fiction to bring out in the context how true to (historical) A common weakness, some critics might facts the Myanmar novelists have been even say a serious fault, of historical in depicting a particular period, incident fiction and its writers is anachronism: or character. an idea, custom, etc. placed in a wrong period of history. For example, in two Myanmar historical fiction is similar to well-known novels by Min Kyaw English and American historical fiction entitled Bagan thar [The People of in that it takes quite a wide variety of Bagan) 11 and Htihlaing shin [The Lord forms. At the lowest level the novels ofHtihlaing]12 Min Kyaw assigns to the are nothing but adventure or love stories Bagan period concepts like democracy, presented in period costumes and the election of leaders, nationalism and so story supposedly taking place in a certain on, which became prevalent in our period of Myanmar's historical past, country only in the twentieth century. though it could have been in any other Maung Swan Yi has rightly pointed this similar country or time. out in his criticism of Bagan tharprinted in Ladu thadinsa [Ladu Daily 13 At the very best Mynmar historical Newspaper) • Maung Swan Yi also fiction depicts what life was like in an noted that the novel Bagan thar is actual period, teeming with personalities choked with long conversational pieces and events of history, giving "the colour extolling patriotism, love for the land and · and pattern oflife in the past and to give country, and other similar concepts.14 immediate reality, charm and meaning to its human figures."9 11 Min Kyaw. Bagan thar. 2nd ed. (Yangon: Sar-thabin Sar-oke Taik, 1974). 1'1 pub. 1964 12 Min Kyaw. Htihlaing shin. 1'1 ed. 8 Aldous Huxley. Jesting Pilate, the Diary (Yangon: Yamin Sarpay, 1969). of a Journey. (London: Chato & Windus, 13 Muang Swan Yi 's book review of Bagan 1948) (1957 reprint). p. 169. 151 pub. in 1926. thar, by Min Kyaw. (Mandalay: Ludu Daily, 9 Helen E. Haines. Living with Books ... 2nd 25th Dec. 1965). ed. New York: Columbia University Press, 14 Muang Swan Yi. Introductory note 1950. p. 541. entitled "Muang Swan Yi I waiban chet," in 10 Ibid. 541. see Chap. 22. "Aspects of Min kyaw. Bagan thar. 2nd ed. (Yangon:Sar­ Fiction", p. 538-567. thabin Sar-oke Taik, 1974). 6p. no page nos. 96 Downloaded from Brill.com10/07/2021 08:54:07PM via free access Some Myanmar Historical Fiction These conversational pieces, which are national consciousness and pride and to like long lectures, are in modem prose give the Myanmar people a militant interspersed with some archaic courage16 to fight against foreign rule. Myanmar words of the Bagan period. The first Myanmar historical novel, In Htihlaing shin, there is a scene in entitled Natshin Naung, narrates how which the Lord of Htihlaing, who later Natshin Naung, the poet-prince of became famous as King Kyanzittha Taungoo a petty kingdom, falls in love (AD 1084-1112), stages a purported with his cousin-aunt Kaza-datu Kalaya, coup against his predecessor, King the daughter of King Bayin Naung of Anawrahta (AD 1044-1 077), where Hanthawady (Hamsavati) and how he Anawrahta rebukes him saying that gets involved in Hanthawady's military kingship cannot be taken away by force campaigns. The novel, however, is as he (Anawrahta) had been elected to incomplete; the second volume ends this position by the people.15 with the death of the Hanthawady Crown Prince in the battle against the Fact and fiction are usually regarded as Siamese and the Myanmar forces opposite poles of human perception. The retreating from Ayudhya in 15 93. It does historian works with facts; the novelist not cover Datu Kalaya's marriage to creates fiction by using his imagination. Natshin Naung a few years later. But often fact and fiction merge as in the case of the historical novel, so care According to the author, the novel was should be taken to disentangle, if written with the purpose of making the possible, what is actual history and what historical personages come alive in its is the product of the writer's pages and arouse the interest of the imagination. We have tried to do this reading public in the study of history. with some selected Myanmar historical Theippan Maung Wa, a critic writing in novels to present what the historical the columns of the Thuriya (Sun) texts relate and how the novelists used daily!?, is well appreciative of the that material directly or changed it to author's efforts. No less a historian than suit his or her purpose. G. M. Trevelyan also has this to say: "Truth is the criterion ofhistorical study; Ledi Pandita U MaungGyi (1879-1939) but its impelling motive is poetic 18."Now was a pioneer in the writing ofMyanmar how much of the novel is loyal to history historical novels such as Natshin and how much fiction is imposed to Naung (1919) and Tabin-shwe­ enthrall the public? htiwuthtu (1924) U Maung Gyi's aim was to rouse the Myanmar youth of In the novel both the hero and the colonial times, to remind them of their great leaders of the past, to awaken 17 Theippan Maung Wa. "Yazawin wuthtu mya," by Theippan Kyaung-tha Maung 15 Min Kyaw. Htih/aing shin. 1•• ed. Mya Thwin (pseud.), Thuriya (Sun) daily (Yangon: Yamin Sarpay, 1969).
Load more

Recommended publications
  • [Myanmar] Research Society Brief History of the Burma
    Analytical Study on the Publications edited and published by the Burma [Myanmar] Research Society Ni Win Zaw Abstract The Burma Research Society (BRS) was founded on 29th. March 1910 and had a programmee to Publish, in printed book-form, important texts from Myanmar palm-leaf and parabike paper manuscripts. The BRS did most valuable work in carefully editing and publishing many old manuscripts texts. The famous Myanmar scholar Dr. Pe Maung Tin served as the BRS General Editor for its Text Program from the early 1920s to about 1940 when the Society had to cease its activities due to the Second World War. After Second World War U Wun (Min Thu Wun) and U Tin E made energetic efforts for the BRS. U Wun served asa the General Editor for the New Series. This Paper describes authors, editors, editions, printing presses, publishing dates, cover style, arrangements, physical descriptions, series numbers, appendixes, indexes, footnotes, and subjects of these books.And also it identifies the performance of editors who were prominent Myanmar and Pali scholars like Saya Lin, Saya Pwa, U Po Sein, BaganWundauk U Tin, U Lu Pe Win, U Chan Mya, U Wun, U Thein Han, and others. Moreover,abilities of ancient Myanmar authors and role of old Myanmar literature are investigated and expressed in this paper. Brief History of the Burma (Myanmar ) Research Society The Burma Research Society was founded on 29th. March 1910 at Bernard Free Library in Rangoon (Yangon) by J.S.Furnivall who was a member of the India Civil Service stationed in Myanmar together with some learned Myanmar officials like U May Oung.1After Opening the Rangoon (Yangon) University, the headquarter of the Society was located at the Rangoon University (Universities' Central Library), from about 1930-1980.
    [Show full text]
  • Working Paper 100 EV
    Myanmar Literature Project jrefrmpmaypDrHudef; Hans-Bernd Zöllner (ed.) Working Paper No. 10:100 Papers Presented at the Burma Studies Conference, Singapore 2006 Passauer Beiträge zur Südostasienkunde Working Papers ISSN 1435-5310 Alle Rechte © Lehrstuhl für Südostasienkunde, Universität Passau 2006 Druck: Universität Passau Printed in Germany Papers Presented at the Burma Studies Conference, Singapore 2006 Contents About the Contributors.............................................................................................................................. 4 I. INTRODUCTION (Hans-Bernd Zöllner)..........................................................................................5 Looking Back on the Way to a Second Level of Investigation ............................................................ 5 Looking at the Contributions of this Volume ............................... Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Nationalism ............................................................................... Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Political Terms and Political Reality ........................................ Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Socialist Economics with a Question Mark .............................. Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. A Way Out ................................................................................ Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. Looking Ahead - Sceptically, not Pessimistically ........................ Fehler! Textmarke nicht definiert. II. Hans-Bernd Zöllner: INTEGRATING OTHER PEOPLES’
    [Show full text]
  • The Stage and Inheritance
    1 The Stage and Inheritance he Indian subcontinent is the only subcontinent in the world. That in itself Ttells us that India possesses a unique geography while also being intrinsi- cally linked to the larger continent, Asia. These two impulses, a pull toward engagement as part of a larger whole and a push to be apart due to a unique ge- ography, have influenced India’s history and behavior through the ages and have determined the nature of her engagement with the world. Geography matters because it has consequences for policy, worldviews, and history. The “big geography” of Eurasia, to which the Indian subcontinent is at- tached, divides that landmass into a series of roughly parallel ecological zones, determined largely by latitude, ranging from tropical forest in the south to northern tundra. In between these extremes, are temperate woodlands and grasslands, desert-steppe, forest-steppe, the forest, and more open taiga. The zone of mixed grassland and woodland was the ecological niche for settled ag- riculture to develop in two areas—in southwest Asia, from the Nile valley to the Indus valley, and in southeast Asia including China—where civilizations, states, and empires grew. Of the two, its geography enabled southwest Asia to communicate easily. Throughout history, from the Nile to the Indus and later the Ganga, exchanges, migrations, and change were the rule with civilizations growing and developing in contact with one another even though they were separate geographically.1 The topography of the Indian subcontinent is open on three sides: the west, south, and east and is blocked off to the north by the Himalayan range.
    [Show full text]
  • Burmese Buddhist Imagery of the Early Bagan Period (1044 – 1113) Buddhism Is an Integral Part of Burmese Culture
    Burmese Buddhist Imagery of the Early Bagan Period (1044 – 1113) 2 Volumes By Charlotte Kendrick Galloway A thesis submitted for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy of The Australian National University November 2006 ii Declaration I declare that to the best of my knowledge, unless where cited, this thesis is my own original work. Signed: Date: Charlotte Kendrick Galloway iii Acknowledgments There are a number of people whose assistance, advice and general support, has enabled me to complete my research: Dr Alexandra Green, Dr Bob Hudson, Dr Pamela Gutman, Dick Richards, Dr Tilman Frasch, Sylvia Fraser- Lu, Dr Royce Wiles, Dr Don Stadtner, Dr Catherine Raymond, Prof Michael Greenhalgh, Ma Khin Mar Mar Kyi, U Aung Kyaing, Dr Than Tun, Sao Htun Hmat Win, U Sai Aung Tun and Dr Thant Thaw Kaung. I thank them all, whether for their direct assistance in matters relating to Burma, for their ability to inspire me, or for simply providing encouragement. I thank my colleagues, past and present, at the National Gallery of Australia and staff at ANU who have also provided support during my thesis candidature, in particular: Ben Divall, Carol Cains, Christine Dixon, Jane Kinsman, Mark Henshaw, Lyn Conybeare, Margaret Brown and Chaitanya Sambrani. I give special mention to U Thaw Kaung, whose personal generosity and encouragement of those of us worldwide who express a keen interest in the study of Burma's rich cultural history, has ensured that I was able to achieve my own personal goals. There is no doubt that without his assistance and interest in my work, my ability to undertake the research required would have been severely compromised – thank you.
    [Show full text]
  • The Making of Modern Burma Thant Myint-U Index More Information
    Cambridge University Press 0521780217 - The Making of Modern Burma Thant Myint-U Index More information Index Abhisha Husseini, 51 and local rebellions, 172, 173–4, 176 Afghanistan, 8, 22, 98, 102, 162 and modern Burma, 254 agriculture, 36, 37, 40, 44, 47, 119, 120, payment of, 121 122, 167, 224, 225, 236, 239; see also reforms, 111–12 cultivators Assam, 2, 13, 15–16, 18, 19, 20, 95, 98, 99, Ahom dynasty, 15–16 220 Aitchison, Sir Charles, 190–1 athi, 33, 35 Alaungpaya, King, 13, 17, 58, 59–60, 61, Ava (city), 17, 25, 46, 53, 54 70, 81, 83, 90, 91, 107 population, 26, 54, 55 Alaungpaya dynasty, 59, 63, 161 Ava kingdom, 2 allodial land, 40, 41 administration, 28–9, 35–8, 40, 53–4, Alon, 26, 39, 68, 155, 173, 175 56–7, 62, 65–8, 69, 75–8, 108–9, Amarapura, 14, 17, 18, 20, 21, 26, 51, 53, 115–18, 158–60, 165–6 54, 119, 127, 149 anti-British attitudes, 6–7, 99, 101–3 rice prices, 143 and Bengal, 94, 95, 96, 98, 99–100 royal library, 96 boundaries of, 9, 12, 24–5, 92, 101, Amarapura, Myowun of, 104–5 220 Amherst, Lord, 106 British attitudes to, 6, 8–9, 120, 217–18, Amyint, 36, 38, 175 242, 246, 252 An Tu (U), 242 and Buddhism, 73–4, 94, 95, 96, 97, 108, Anglo-Burmese wars, 2, 79 148–52, 170–1 First (1824–6), 18–20, 25, 99, 220 ceremonies, 97, 149, 150 Second (1852–3), 23, 104, 126 and China, 47–8, 137, 138, 141, 142, Third (1885), 172, 176, 189, 191–3 143, 144, 147–8 animal welfare, 149, 171 chronicles of, 79–83, 86, 240 appanages, 29, 53, 61–3, 68, 69, 72–3, 77, and colonial state, 219–20 107, 108, 231 commercial concessions, 136–7 reform of,
    [Show full text]
  • A Comparative Study of Amitav Ghosh's the Glass Palace
    An Open Access Journal from The Law Brigade Publishers 127 A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF AMITAV GHOSH’S THE GLASS PALACE AND SUDHA SHAH’S THE KING IN EXILE Written by Akarshak Bose* & Dr. V Rema** * 4th Year B Tech CSE Student, SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram, Chennai, India ** Professor and HoD Department of English and Other foreign languages SRM Institute of Science and Technology, Ramapuram ABSTRACT The present study is a comparison between The Glass Palace by Amitav Ghosh and The king in exile by Sudha Shah. Both of them deals with the similar historical plot and shares common places. The Royal Family of Burma King Thibaw , who used to have the unchallenged power of life and death over the Burmese people are now living exile. They have to get approval from the British on every personal matter of their lives. The life in exile was extremely strange and frustrating for the once most powerful family of Burma. The present study also deals with how situation changes and people’s responses or readiness to accept the changes. The Central Character of The Glass Palace Rajkumar when came to Mandalay he had nothing , created an empire of timber and later on he left as a refugee when Japanese invaded their Country, whereas being the king of Burma, when he lost his kingdom to British and deported to India , he was forced to comply with little earning. This comparison in being set up on the grounds of Common places, Common plots and common themes between the two books. Keywords- Amitav Ghosh, Sudha Shah, King Thibaw, Burma, Mandalay, Exile INTRODUCTION The comparative study, between the glass palace by Amitav Ghosh and the king in exile by Sudha Shah shared several things in common.
    [Show full text]
  • Islamic Education in Myanmar: a Case Study
    10: Islamic education in Myanmar: a case study Mohammed Mohiyuddin Mohammed Sulaiman Introduction `Islam', which literally means `peace' in Arabic, has been transformed into a faith interpreted loosely by one group and understood conservatively by another, making it seem as if Islam itself is not well comprehended by its followers. Today, it is the faith of 1.2 billion people across the world; Asia is a home for 60 per cent of these adherents, with Muslims forming an absolute majority in 11 countries (Selth 2003:5). Since the terrorist attacks of 11 September 2001, international scholars have become increasingly interested in Islam and in Muslims in South-East Asia, where more than 230 million Muslims live (Mutalib 2005:50). These South-East Asian Muslims originally received Islam from Arab traders. History reveals the Arabs as sea-loving people who voyaged around the Indian Ocean (IIAS 2005), including to South-East Asia. The arrival of Arabs has had different degrees of impact on different communities in the region. We find, however, that not much research has been done by today's Arabs on the Arab±South-East Asian connection, as they consider South-East Asia a part of the wider `East', which includes Iran, Central Asia and the Indian subcontinent. Indeed, the term `South-East Asia' is hardly used in modern Arab literature. For them, anything east of the Middle East and non-Arabic speaking world is considered to be `Asia' (Abaza 2002). According to Myanmar and non-Myanmar sources, Islam reached the shores of Myanmar's Arakan (Rakhine State) as early as 712 AD, via oceangoing merchants, and in the form of Sufism.
    [Show full text]
  • 5) Bayinnaung in the Hanthawadi Shinbyumya Shin Ayedawbon Chronicle 2.Pmd
    Bayinnaung in the Hanthawadi Hsinbyumya Shin Ayedawbon Chronicle by Thaw Kaung King Bayinnaung (AD 1551-1581) is known and respected in Myanmar as a great war- rior king of renown. Bayinnaung refers to himself in the only inscription that he left as “the Conqueror of the Ten Directions”.1 but this epithet is not found in the main Myanmar chronicles or in the Ayedawbon texts. Professor D. G. E. Hall of Rangoon University wrote that “Bayinnaung was a born leader of men. the greatest ever produced by Burma. ”2 There is a separate Ayedawbon historical chronicle devoted specifically to the campaigns and achievements of Bayinnaung entitled Hsinbyumya-shin Ayedawbon.3 Ayedawbon The term Ayedawbon means “a historical account of a royal campaign” 4 It also means a chronicle which records the campaigns and achivements of great kings like Rajadirit, Bayinnaung and Alaungphaya. The Ayedawbon is a Myanmar historical text which records : (1) How great men of prowess like Bayinnaung consolidated their power and became king. (2) How these kings retained their power by military campaigns, diplomacy, alliances and 1. For the full text of The Bell Inscription of King Bayinnaung see Report of the Superintendent, Archaeological Survey, Burma . 1953. Published 1955. p. 17-18. For the English translations by Dr. Than Tun and U Sein Myint see Myanmar Historical Research Journal. no. 8 (Dec. 2001) p. 16-20, 23-27. 2. D. G. E. Hall. Burma. 2nd ed. London : Hutchinson’s University Library, 1956. p.41. 3. The variant titles are Hsinbyushin Ayedawbon and Hanthawadi Ayedawbon. 4. Myanmar - English Dictionary.
    [Show full text]
  • Myanmar Buddhism of the Pagan Period
    MYANMAR BUDDHISM OF THE PAGAN PERIOD (AD 1000-1300) BY WIN THAN TUN (MA, Mandalay University) A THESIS SUBMITTED FOR THE DEGREE OF DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY SOUTHEAST ASIAN STUDIES PROGRAMME NATIONAL UNIVERSITY OF SINGAPORE 2002 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to express my gratitude to the people who have contributed to the successful completion of this thesis. First of all, I wish to express my gratitude to the National University of Singapore which offered me a 3-year scholarship for this study. I wish to express my indebtedness to Professor Than Tun. Although I have never been his student, I was taught with his book on Old Myanmar (Khet-hoà: Mranmâ Râjawaà), and I learnt a lot from my discussions with him; and, therefore, I regard him as one of my teachers. I am also greatly indebted to my Sayas Dr. Myo Myint and Professor Han Tint, and friends U Ni Tut, U Yaw Han Tun and U Soe Kyaw Thu of Mandalay University for helping me with the sources I needed. I also owe my gratitude to U Win Maung (Tampavatî) (who let me use his collection of photos and negatives), U Zin Moe (who assisted me in making a raw map of Pagan), Bob Hudson (who provided me with some unpublished data on the monuments of Pagan), and David Kyle Latinis for his kind suggestions on writing my early chapters. I’m greatly indebted to Cho Cho (Centre for Advanced Studies in Architecture, NUS) for providing me with some of the drawings: figures 2, 22, 25, 26 and 38.
    [Show full text]
  • Shwe U Daung and the Burmese Sherlock Holmes: to Be a Modern Burmese Citizen Living in a Nation‐State, 1889 – 1962
    Shwe U Daung and the Burmese Sherlock Holmes: To be a modern Burmese citizen living in a nation‐state, 1889 – 1962 Yuri Takahashi Southeast Asian Studies School of Languages and Cultures Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences The University of Sydney April 2017 A thesis submitted in fulfilment of requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy Statement of originality This is to certify that to the best of my knowledge, the content of this thesis is my own work. This thesis has not been submitted for any degree or other purposes. I certify that the intellectual content of this thesis is the product of my own work and that all the assistance received in preparing this thesis and sources has been acknowledged. Yuri Takahashi 2 April 2017 CONTENTS page Acknowledgements i Notes vi Abstract vii Figures ix Introduction 1 Chapter 1 Biography Writing as History and Shwe U Daung 20 Chapter 2 A Family after the Fall of Mandalay: Shwe U Daung’s Childhood and School Life 44 Chapter 3 Education, Occupation and Marriage 67 Chapter ‘San Shar the Detective’ and Burmese Society between 1917 and 1930 88 Chapter 5 ‘San Shar the Detective’ and Burmese Society between 1930 and 1945 114 Chapter 6 ‘San Shar the Detective’ and Burmese Society between 1945 and 1962 140 Conclusion 166 Appendix 1 A biography of Shwe U Daung 172 Appendix 2 Translation of Pyone Cho’s Buddhist songs 175 Bibliography 193 i ACKNOWLEGEMENTS I came across Shwe U Daung’s name quite a long time ago in a class on the history of Burmese literature at Tokyo University of Foreign Studies.
    [Show full text]
  • The Glass Palace
    HISTORY PROJECT “To use the past to justify the present is bad enough—but it’s just as bad to use the present to justify the past.” — Amitav Ghosh, The Glass Palace Srijon Sinha Class XI-H1 – The Shri Ram School, Moulsari THE GLASS PALACE WRITTEN BY AMITAV GHOSH TABLE OF CONTENTS Research Question .......................................................................... 2 Abstract ....................................................................................... 2 Reason for choosing the topic ......................................................................2 Methods and materials ...............................................................................2 Hypothesis ..............................................................................................2 Main Essay .................................................................................... 2 Background and context .............................................................................2 Explanation of the theme ...........................................................................3 Interpretation and analysis .........................................................................5 Conclusion .................................................................................... 5 Bibliography ................................................................................. 6 1 RESEARCH QUESTION What are the historical, cultural and political forces that shape the progression of the plot, the characters, their actions, and furthermore, how do the
    [Show full text]
  • THAN, TUN Citation the ROYAL ORDERS of BURMA, AD 1598-1885
    Title Summary of Each Order in English Author(s) THAN, TUN THE ROYAL ORDERS OF BURMA, A.D. 1598-1885 (1988), Citation 7: 1-158 Issue Date 1988 URL http://hdl.handle.net/2433/173887 Right Type Departmental Bulletin Paper Textversion publisher Kyoto University THE ROYAL ORDERS OF BURMA, AD 1598-1885 The Roya 1Orders of Burma, Part Seven, AD 1811-1819 Summary 1 January 18 1 1 Order:( 1) According to statements made by the messengers from Ye Gaung Sanda Thu, Town Officer, Mogaung, arrest Ye Gaung Sanda Thu and bring him here as a prisoner; send an officer to succeed him in Mogaung as Town Officer. < 2) The King is going to plant the Maha Bodhi saplings on 3 January 1811; make necessary preparations. This Order was passed on 1 January 1811 and proclaimed by Baya Kyaw Htin, Liaison Officer- cum -Chief of Caduceus Bearers. 2 January 18 1 1 Order:( 1) Officer of Prince Pyay (Prome) had sent here thieves and robbers that they had arrested; these men had named certain people as their accomplices; send men to the localities where these accused people are living and with the help of the local chiefs, put them under custody. ( 2) Prince Pakhan shall arrest all suspects alledged to have some connection with the crimes committed in the villages of Ka Ni, Mait Tha Lain and Pa Hto of Kama township. ( 3) Nga Shwe Vi who is under arrest now is proved to be a leader of thieves; ask him who were his associates. This Order was passed on 2 January 1811 and proclaimed by Zayya Nawyatha, Liaison Officer.
    [Show full text]