Min Thu Wun
Min Thu Wun | |
|---|---|
| မင်းသုဝဏ် | |
 | |
| Member-elect of theBurmese House of Representatives forKamayut Township | |
| Majority | 23,345 (76%)[1] |
| Preceded by | Constituency established |
| Succeeded by | Constituency abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Wun 10 February 1909 Kungyangon,Hinthada District,Hanthawaddy Division,British Burma |
| Died | 15 August 2004(aged 95) Kamayut Township,Yangon,Myanmar |
| Nationality | Mon |
| Political party | National League for Democracy |
| Spouse | Kyi Kyi |
| Children | Htin Kyaw |
| Parent(s) | Lwan Pin Mi |
| Alma mater | Rangoon University Oxford University |
| Occupation | Writer |
Thiri PyanchiMin Thu Wun(Burmese:မင်းသုဝဏ်;10 February 1909 – 15 August 2004) was a Burmese poet, writer and scholar who helped launch a new ageliterary movementcalledKhit-San(Testing the Times) inBurma.[2][3]He is the father ofHtin Kyaw,president of Myanmarfrom 2016 to 2018.
Distinguished career
[edit]
BornMaungWunat Kungyangon inMon statein 1909, he was ofMonandBamar(Burman) descent. He started writing poems at the age of 20 for Rangoon College (laterRangoon University) magazine. It was in university that he, along with the other students of ProfessorPe Maung Tin–Theippan Maung WaandZawgyi,pioneered theHkit sanstyle of short stories and poems, published in the university magazine, andGanda Lawka(World of Books) magazine which he edited, under the tutelage ofJ S Furnivall,founder of theBurma Research Society.[2][4][5]The year 1934 saw the publication ofHkit san pon byin(Experimental Tales) – a collection of short stories to test the readers' reaction, written by Zawgyi, Min Thu Wun and Theippan Maung Wa among others. The writing was distinct and novel in style using shorter sentences and moving away from the traditional literary vocabulary.[5]
In 1935 Min Thu Wun received his master's degree inBurmese literature.He went to study atOxford University,and achieved abachelor's degreein literature in 1939.[2]
Whilst Theippan Maung Wa was famous for his prose, Min Thu Wun and Zawgyi were best known for their portrayal of the daily lives of ordinary people and for their appreciation of nature in their poems.[4]Zawgyi became the most respectedliterary critic,and Min Thu Wun the best loved poet.[5]
Publications
[edit]- Nursery Songs for Maung Khway– 13 songs in Burmese with music and English translations byGordon H Luceof 60 years ago were reprinted in 2002.[6]
- Stories for Children– his translation of 26 stories for children from around the world from 1955 to 1961 were also collected into a book in 1965.[7]
Min Thu Wun's prolific writings on literature, both classical and modern, in numerous articles were later collected into 3 important books.
- Pan hnin pinzi– The Tree Trunk and the Blooms (1965)
- Myanma sa Myanma hmu– Burmese Life and Letters (1965)
- Pyinma ngokto– The Tough Tree Stump (1968)[5]
Min Thu Wun explained in a book review the nature of "light" and "serious" literature.[3]He went on to create the Burmese version ofBraillefor the blind.[4] He also helped compileMon–BurmeseandPali–Burmesedictionaries.[2]
Politics
[edit]In 1990 he was elected as aNational League for Democracy(NLD) Member of Parliament, although he resigned 8 years later under pressure from themilitary regime.His work has also been banned from publication.[2]A popular publication calledSapei Gya-ne(Literary Journal) was also blocked in its attempt to dedicate its June 1995 issue to Min Thu Wun.[8]He died on 15 August 2004 at the age of 95.[2]
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]- ^"National League for Democracy".Brief Biographies of Elected MPs.Retrieved7 April2012.
- ^abcdefAung Lwin Oo."Burmese Literary Pioneer Dies".The Irrawaddy16 August 2004. Archived fromthe originalon 12 August 2010.Retrieved30 November2008.
- ^abMaung Swan Yi (December 2002).""Chewing the West":The Development of Modern Burmese Literature under the Influence of Western Literature "(PDF).p. 5. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 11 April 2008.Retrieved30 November2008.
- ^abcMin Zin."Living History: Dagon Taya & Modern Burmese Literature".The IrrawaddyJuly 2000. Archived fromthe originalon 13 October 2007.Retrieved30 November2008.
{{cite journal}}:Cite journal requires|journal=(help) - ^abcdKratz, E Ulrich (1996).Southeast Asian Languages and Literatures.I B Tauris. pp. 18, 21.ISBN978-1-86064-114-5.Retrieved2 December2008.
- ^Min Thu Wun."Nursery Songs for Maung Khway"(PDF).Sapei Lawka (World of Letters), NDD. Archived fromthe original(PDF)on 13 May 2011.Retrieved2 December2008.
- ^Min Thu Wun."Stories for Children"(PDF).Sapei Lawka (World of Letters), NDD.Retrieved2 December2008.
- ^Yozo Yokota."Report on the situation of human rights in Myanmar – D:Freedom of expression".UN Commission on Human Rights,5 February 1996. Archived fromthe originalon 29 April 2011.Retrieved3 December2008.
External links
[edit]- [1]official website
- Rose(1932) p38,The Pyima Stump,(1949) p41Poems translated by Dragan Janikovic
- Let's Go A-gathering Thabye PlumsPoems translated by Hla Myo Nwe
- Poems by Min Thu WunEnglish translation by Dr Maung Maung Nyo
- Sayagyi Min Thu Wun Centenaryold photos inBurma Digest
- Myanmar sa Myanmar hmu(Burmese Literature and Culture)Min Thu Wun, in Burmese,Scribd
- NLD party youth marked Min Thu Wun 100 Year AnniversaryMoeMaKaRadio & Multimedia
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