Mya Than Tint

Mya Than Tint ( ; 23 May 1929 – 18 February 1998) was a five-time Myanmar National Literature Award winning Burmese writer and translator.

Biography Born Mya Than on 23 May 1929 in Myaing, Pakokku Township, Magway Division, Myanmar, he was the eldest of seven children to Paw Tint and his wife Hlaing.

Mya Than Tint entered Rangoon University in 1948, the year Burma gained independence from Great Britain, and received a degree in philosophy, political science and English literature in 1954.

His writing career began in 1949 when his first short novel “Refugee” was published in Tara Magazine (No. 21, Vol. 3, 1949). His first translated work was Malva and other short stories by Gorky.He published many short and full-length novels, documentaries and translated works in his 50-year writing career.

Dataung Ko Kyaw Ywei, Mee Pinle Ko Hpyat Myi (Across the Mountain of Swords and the Sea of Fire) (1973) is considered to be his greatest masterpiece. He also wrote historical documentaries like “Breeze over Taungthaman Lake” .

Also a prolific translator of Western literature into Burmese, Mya Than Tint introduced his readers to world classics like War and Peace , Gone with the Wind (လေရူးသုန်သုန်), and Dream of the Red Chamber . He won the Myanmar National Literature Award five times for translation War and Peace(1972), Gone with the Wind (1978), Dream of the Red Chamber (1988), City of Joy (1992) and Beyond Love (1995).

As a political prisoner, Mya Than Tint was jailed from 1963 to 1972 by Ne Win's military regime that seized power from a democratic government in 1962. He was initially incarcerated in Rangoon's notorious Insein Prison, but later transferred with other political prisoners to the Coco Islands penal colony in the Indian Ocean until his release three years later. At the age of 68, he died in his home in Sanchaung Township in Rangoon of a brain hemorrhage after an accidental fall from a staircase in the early morning of February 18, 1998. He was cremated at the Hteinpin cemetery in Rangoon.

Literary works Famous Burmese Novels by Mya Than Tint: Myit-tar Athinchay-Infinite Love Dataung Ko Kyaw Ywei, Mee Pinle Ko Hpyat Myi - Across the Mountain of Swords and the Sea of Fire (1973) A-hmaung Yeik We - In the Dark Shadow (1960) Annyattara Yoke Pon Hlwa - Images of Ordinary People Like Hkedaw Mya Nanda - Run with me, Mya Nanda (1960) Khit Pyaing Yoke Pon Hlwa - Images of Our Modern Era Pondaung Ponnya Thwa Tawla - Travelogue of Pondaung Ponnya Taungthaman Shwe Inn ga Lei-hnyin Sawdaw - Breeze over Taungthaman Lake (1999) "The City of Joy" "Than Chaung" "Kankaung" "Khuntaw Satye Chinthaw Wutthumyar" ( The Stories I wanna continue writing) "Myanmar:The longest war" 2015 "The Art of Writing"

His collection of short stories Annyattara Yoke Pon Hlwa (Images of Ordinary People) has been translated in English titled On the Road to Mandalay.

Translations Well Known Works of Translation into Burmese: No Burmese Name No. of VolumesOriginal Novel Original Author Note 1 Sit Nink Nyein Chan Yay 12 Vols: War and Peace Leo Tolstoy1972 National Literature Award for Best Translation 2 Lei Yuu Thon Thon 2 Vols:Gone with the Wind Margaret Mitchell1978 National Literature Award for Best Translation 3 Pari Kya Sone Gan 3 Vols:The Fall of Paris Ilya Ehrenburg 4 Shwe Pyidaw Hmyaw Daing Way 8 Vols:The Far PavilionsM. M. Kaye 5 Lei Lwint Thu -The Catcher in the RyeJ. D. Salinger 6 Meinma do Akyawn 2 Vols:The Second SexSimone de Beauvoir 7 Kan Saung Ni Einmet 9 Vols:Dream of the Red ChamberCao Xueqin1988 National Literature Award for Best Translation 8 Thuhka Myodaw 2 Vols:City of Joy Dominique Lapierre1992 National Literature Award for Best Translation 9 A Chit Moe Kaungin 2 Vols: Beyond Love Dominique Lapierre1995 National Literature Award for Best Translation 10 Lwan Maw Khe Ya Thaw Tekkatho Nwei Nya Myar 3 Vols: The ClassErich Segal 11 Lu Mya Thekkayit Mya Nink Bawa 5 Vols:Memories:Men, Years - LifeIlya Ehrenburg 12 Eikari Pwa Saw-She Was a QueenMaurice Collis 13 Chit Thaw Yun Khin Khin -the Lacquer LadyF. Tennyson Jesse 14 A-ywe Ma Taing Mi -My ChildhoodMaxim Gorky 15 Bon-Le Ta Khwin-My ApprenticeshipMaxim Gorky 16 Bawa Tekkatho -My UniversitiesMaxim Gorky 17 Lar Chin Kaung Taw Ashin2 Vols:The Lord ComesRobert Payne 18 Asia A-Yone-Oo-Pacific DestinyRobert Elegant

Sherlock Holmes series into 5 Volumes -

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes The Return of Sherlock Holmes His Last Bow The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes

Quotes "Since my childhood, I have believed that writing is the most honourable job, and honour doesn’t mean material wealth, but honest and truthful dignity." "I will not exchange my job as a writer for anything." "I wouldn’t do now, I won’t do in the future."