Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay (author), often regarded as one of the foremost Burmese writers of the 20th century, authored nearly twenty books along with numerous articles and short stories. Many of her contemporaries, as well as younger writers, recognize her as a literary genius who had a unique gift for transforming everyday events into compelling narratives. Her works reflect the lives, struggles, and aspirations of modern Burmese society, resonating deeply with readers across generations. Ma Ma Lay was also one of Burma’s few prominent female authors during her time, she became the president of the Writers Association in 1948.
Ma Ma Lay won two top Burmese Literary Prizes for Not Out of Hate and A Slow Stream of Thoughts and Burmese Medicine Tales. She passed away in 1982 at the age of sixty-five.
San Shwe Baw (translator) holds a B.A. in English from the Institute of Education, Yangon, Burma, an advanced diploma in English Language Teaching (DELT) from the University of Leeds, U.K., and an M.A. in TESOL from St. Michael's College, U.S.A. He retired slightly over a year and a half ago as an Assistant Professor at the Theodore Maria School of Arts, Assumption University, Thailand, where he served for nearly three decades. Before moving to Thailand in 1994, he spent twelve years as an English tutor at Yangon University and Sittwe College. His English language teaching articles have been published in both Thailand and the United States. San Shwe Baw is the author of five novels: The Astrologer’s Predictions, Enslaved by English, Love by Fate, I Gave My Life for Thee, and A Candle in Darkness. These works have been published by Myat Su Mon Sarpay, Global Ahlin, Myanmar Book Center, Seikku Cho Cho, and Juty Sarpay in Myanmar. His fourth novel, I Gave My Life for Thee, the English translation of the Burmese novel Myay Si Mel Mel Thway Yel Yel, won the prestigious 10th Mekong Literary Award. Additionally, two more books translated from Burmese to English are expected to be published by March this year, further expanding his contributions to multilingual literature.
