Burmese literature—in past eras a barometer of political will and a vehicle for cultural identity—has lost its focus, say some of the country’s leading writers

The 1988 student-led uprising in Burma has been likened to a storm. It demolished the old political structure to pave the way for a multi-party election. It blew away the centralized economy and brought in a market system. It kicked socialism out of office and opened the door for democracy and human rights. It had a huge impact, and since that time all aspects of Burmese society have to some extent changed. Burmese literature is no exception.

In Burma, politics and literature have always been closely connected. Literature has served as an indicator of o­ngoing political trends. The well-known poet Dagon Taryar used to say that Burmese literature was the subject of Burmese politics—whenever there is a change in politics, there will be a change in literature.

Burmese literature has always been colored by the dominant political ideologies. This relationship began with feudalism under the country’s former kings and turned to nationalism during the colonial period. After Burma regained independence, conservative and leftist factions fought vehemently for power and o­nce defeated, the communist factions went underground. Civil war soon followed, and the competing ideas of communism and capitalism heavily influenced the literature of this period.

In 1962 Gen Ne Win seized control of Burma and made alliances with some of the country’s leftist factions in order to put the country o­n the road to socialism. During the so-called socialist era that followed, Burma’s most influential writers were leftists. They wrote novels and short stories about the miseries of working-class life under authoritarian rule, and they advanced the concept of Socialist Realism with the motto “literature for the peoples’ sake.” This trend prevailed until the early 1980s.

“The problem was they could not point the way out. I do not mean that they do not know the way out,” said o­ne writer, requesting anonymity. “They may know, but how can they show the way out under strict censorship? That is why the people’s literature lost its influence. The readers got fed up with this genre and it was finished in the 1980s.”

At the same time, some leftist writers began to take note of the ideological shift in the world. Win Tin, the veteran journalist who is now in prison, and Maung Sue San, a well known leftist writer, were the first to embrace global trends that departed from Burma’s principal literary ideologies of communism and capitalism.

“Two grand ideas dominated Burmese literature until 1988. These were communism and capitalism—or Leftism and Rightism. Now both have gone,” said Nyein Wai, an exiled writer and poet who has published books outside Burma. “What is dominant now is pluralism, which the great poet Dagon Taryar has often mentioned.’’

The 1988 uprising consigned socialist realism, together with the so-called Burmese socialists, to the history books. Before 1988, influential writers thought that literature must be guided by politics. Now they sensed freedom.

“It all changed,” Nyein Wai said. “Literature is literature. Politics is politics. Literature does not need to rely o­n politics. We are now convinced that each stands o­n its own feet.”

A former leftist poet, who asked not to be named, also said he no longer had any political burden o­n his shoulders.

In the two years following the 1988 uprising, the Berlin Wall collapsed, the Soviet Union fell apart and the Cold War came to an end. The political map of the world was no longer bipolar. Maung Sue San said that this period marked the advent of what he was the first to call the “post-communist era,” and so a new page of Burmese literature had been turned.

The first new genre that surfaced after 1988 was the so-called “success book.” o­ne author of several such works said: “Under the socialist government, we didn’t need much money because there weren’t many things in the market. Now we are more willing to become rich as we have a lot of things to enjoy. This is a reason why our people like to read success books these days.”

The military regime that took control of Ne Win’s socialist government in 1988 introduced an open market policy. Private companies appeared and modern commodities rolled in from abroad. Making money became the talk of the town. No wonder, then, that the “rags-to-riches” genre superseded all others.

Ludu Sein Win, a veteran journalist, noted that nearly all “success books” were translated into Burmese from English, and so were not entirely suitable for a Burmese audience. “How can a Burmese become a millionaire without modern day business involving stocks and shares?” he asked.

Business in Burma exists without sufficient regulation by the ruling military junta. Doing business is not easy, and success comes o­nly to a select few. o­ne avid reader of Burmese literature acknowledged that despite the popularity of the “success books,” the post-1988 era has been o­ne of failure. And failure is the mother of depression, he added.

Perhaps this explains the widespread popularity of religious texts in Burma after 1988. “You should buy o­ne of U Zawtika’s books whenever you buy o­ne of Pe Myint’s,” the reader said. The latter author is known for his many success-oriented novels, while the former is a Buddhist monk who writes about meditation-based relaxation techniques. “You have to take some kind of meditation after you have failed,” the reader quipped.

Burma’s ruling junta proudly announces that the country’s economic growth exceeds 10 percent, though most Burmese live well below the poverty line. o­ne short story writer said that the Burmese feel that they have no way out, and so seek comfort in mysticism.

“That is why they go to the fortune tellers. That is why the occult journals and magazines sell a great deal,” the writer said.

Some critics say that non-fiction writers have gained the upper hand in modern Burmese literature, citing the popularity of works by Nandar Thein Zan, Maung Sue San, Kyaw Win and Ko Tar. Nandar Thein Zan writes philosophical articles. Maung Sue San and Kyaw Win focus o­n global trends and political economy. Ko Tar is best known for works o­n alternative thinking.

“Those who are not satisfied with the formal education love to read Ko Tar and Kyaw Win,” said the well known writer in exile May Nyein. “But they are not enthusiastic about reading fiction.”

Before 1988, the most influential Burmese authors were novelists and short story writers. In subsequent years, writers of non-fiction became preeminent, leading some to worry about the downfall of Burmese literature.

Paragu, o­ne of Burma’s most respected writers, has noted that Burmese literature as a whole has lost influence since 1988. The poet Dagon Taryar agreed, saying that literature suffered after the rise of Ne Win—a situation that has o­nly gotten worse in the last two decades, and which he attributes to the country’s strict censorship laws. “No freedom, no development,” he said.

The goals of modern Burmese literature have become confused, according to Dagon Taryar, and he feels uncertain about its future. “In my personal view, the worst thing is that today’s writing is lacking in objectives.”