‟FIVE years ago it would have been unthinkable. International literary festivals, where writers and readers speak freely and exchange ideas, were not permitted in shuttered Myanmar. Censorship had blighted the nation for four decades.
Military despots blinkered the population with iron rules on what could and could not be published. People were jailed simply for making a speech or writing a pamphlet. The press was shackled and many books were blacklisted. The bans led to fear and self-censorship, and crushed any real market for dissident titles.
Then, remarkably, Myanmar's generals began to change. A quasi-democratic election was held in 2010. Hordes of political prisoners have since been released, including Aung San Suu Kyi. Foreigners were welcomed to the long restricted nation; the US, the EU and Australia eased sanctions - and finally, last August, the stringent censorship laws were relaxed.
The arts began to flourish again; a rock concert was held in the grounds of the revered Shwedagon Pagoda. Suddenly, long-banned books were in the bookshops and Myanmar's people again began to read widely.”
Now Myanmar is set to have its first international literary festival. Suu Kyi has agreed to be the Irrawaddy Literary Festival's patron, and a long list of distinguished local and international authors has been recruited, including the Chinese-born British writer Jung Chang, who wrote Wild Swans, the Indian novelist Vikram Seth, perhaps best known for the massive A Suitable Boy, and Briton Josceline Dimbleby, who wrote the family memoir A Profound Secret.”
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