Life in Burma (Myanmar)

 

To understand more about the history and current challenges, we suggest the following resources.

Books:

Kii, Aung San Suu (1996), Letters from Burma (New York: Penguin Books).
"In these fifty-two pieces, originally written for a Japanese newspaper and begun soon after her release from house arrest, she paints a vivid, poignant yet fundamentally optimistic picture of her native land.
    These letters were awarded the prestigious Japanese Newspaper Association's award for 1996. They are illustrated with pencil drawings by the Burmese artist Heinn Htet." Publisher.

 

Marshall, Andrew (2002), The Trouser People. The Story of Burma--in the Shadow of the Empire (Washington D.C.: Counterpoint).
"...account of Sir George Scott, the unsung Victorian adventurer who hacked, bullied and charmed his way through uncharted jungle to help establish British colonial rule in Burma. ...Marshall retraces the explorer's intrepid footsteps from the moldering colonial splendor of Rangoon to the fabled royal capital of Mandalay. In the process he discovers modern Burma (Myranmar), a hermit nation misruled by a brutal military dictatorship..." Publisher.

Olszewski, Peter (2005), Land of a Thousand Eyes. The Subtle Pleasures of Everyday Life in Myanmar (Crowns Nest, Australia: Allen & Unwin).
"...a rare glimpse into one of the world's most secretive and isolated countries." Publisher.

 

Tan, Amy (2006), Saving Fish from Drowning (New York: Ballantine Books).
"San Francisco art patron Bibi Chen has planned a journey of the senses along the famed Burma Road for eleven lucky friends. But after her mysterious death, Bibi watches aghast from her ghostly perch as the travelers veer off her itinerary and embark on a trail paved with cultural gaffes and tribal curses, Buddhist illusions and romantic desires." Publisher.

Yin, Saw Myat (1984), Culture Shock! A Guide to Customs & Etiquette. Burma (London: Kuperard).
"The book entertains the reader through topics such as language, food and entertaining, social customs, festivals, relationships, helpful business trips, as well as many explanations of daily sights and scenes which might confuse or even deter the visitor from a desire to learn and live with surroundings that are sometimes totally alien and uncomfortable." Publisher.

 

Websites:

The website for Mynamar Institute of Theology in Rangoon (Yangon).