James Hla Kyaw - Life As A Writer

Life As A Writer

He started writing Maung Yin Maung, Ma Me Ma while he was in Rangoon. Although the novel was actually a translation of Alexandre Dumas, père's The Count of Monte Cristo, it was more an 'adaptation' than a direct translation as he created his own characters and blended into the story Burmese culture and beliefs. While, Dumas's protagonist took revenge on all those who had mistreated him in the novel, James Hla Kyaw's hero Maung Yin Maung forgave them all, as should be done according to the teachings of the Buddha. The settings were completely different just as the characters were. His novel became a best-seller as Burma's first romantic novel. It was first published in 1904 at No. 71, Phayre Street by Friend of Burma Press with 12 black and white photographs and has since been reprinted six times. Today, over 100 years later, the first novel ever published in Burma is set to hit the big screen. The Moe Kaung Kin Movie Production Company has taken on the task of turning the much-loved Burmese classic into a cinematic masterpiece. Screenplay writer Aung Soe Oo said he and the others had agreed to pay royalty for the book, even though they were not obliged to; a novel or the work of an artist becomes public domain 50 years after the death of its author in Burma. He also stated that to honour the author, they had decided to give a royalty cheque to his next-of-kin in any case. James Hla Kyaw's granddaughter Daw Khin Htar Oo, who lives in Mandalay, would receive the sum of K300,000 (about 300 USD).

Besides being a writer, James Hla Kyaw enjoyed huge success as a lawyer and translator. He wrote several articles and law books after completing the novel Maung Yin Maung, Ma Me Ma, an extract from which is included in the newly revised prescribed text for matriculation students as part of Burmese Literature. Unfortunately, most of his other novels were destroyed by a great fire during the Second World War and only his first novel survived to this day. He was widely known and remembered today as a great novelist. James Hla Kyaw had suffered from chronic illnesses since he was young, but he never gave up and Burma owes its first novel to him.