Reading contest promotes love for Myanmar books — Zon Pann Pwint | Myanmar Times

A contestant answers questions from a panel of judges about
Daw Ma Ma Lay’s novel ‘Thu Lo Lu’. (Zon Pann Pwint/The Myanmar Times)

‟“We asked questions related to character traits, descriptions of events, and a line of dialogue from the novel, which would prompt the candidates to think about different aspects of the story,” said U Myo Myint Nyein, one of the judges.

Others on the judging panel included writers Ma Sandar, Chit Oo Nyo and Lynn Thite Nyunt, and actress Swe Zin Htike.

“After the contest they will learn to pay close attention to historical facts in novels, to discover the meaning that lies beneath the characters’ traits and to evaluate the story after finishing the book rather than reading only for pleasure,” said U Myo Myint Nyein.”

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Nu Nu Yi: The Writer, the Role Model, and the Bird by Khet Mar

“Long ago, I was surprised and overwhelmed to learn that a well-known writer who I admired also happened to be my neighbor. At that time, I was a teenager who dreamed of becoming a writer, and my early attempts to test my ability were inspired by this writer’s short story, “A Little Sarong,” which I liked very much. This writer’s name is Nu Nu Yi.

In mid-1989 a friend of mine told me, “Nu Nu Yi is your neighbor.” As soon as I heard, I asked him if I could visit her. When I met Nu Nu Yi she was friendly and welcomed me into her home. Of course, I didn’t forget to bring my early attempts at short stories, which she read, giving me her advice and comments in return. Over time, the encouragement that Nu Nu Yi and her husband gave me as a young writer provided the strength and confidence I needed to submit my stories to magazines.

One day Nu Nu Yi asked me to visit her home, so I went there with my friends. I remember that day well. She looked at me seriously and said, “In this country, it is not strange to have any piece of writing censored.” She paused for a few seconds. “If one of your short stories is censored, don’t be upset.””

Yangon literature fest aims to overcome culture of one-way lecture | Zon Pann Pwint | Myanmar Times

Ma Thida

“In 2009, writer Ma Thida attended Brown University in the United States as a fellow of the International Writers Project.

During her stay the university organised an event called There Will Still Be Light: A Freedom to Write Literary Festival, and declared their plans to invite Bengali writer Amitav Ghosh, author of the novel The Glass Palace.

Ma Thida suggested that well-known Myanmar novelist Nay Win Myint also be invited, but when the organisers tried to find information about the writer on the internet they came up empty. There was simply no information about Nay Win Myint that had been posted online in the English language.

This was despite the fact that in his home country he had published nearly 200 short stories, as well as novels, travelogues, translations and more. He had also won the National Literary Prize in 2007.”

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