 | This article relies largely or entirely on a single source .(January 2023) |
| Editor | JS Furnivall |
|---|---|
| Frequency | Monthly |
| Publisher | JS Furnivall Burma Education Extension Association |
| First issue | February 1925 |
| Country | British Burma |
| Based in | Rangoon |
| Language | English |
The World of Books was an English language monthly magazine published by JS Furnivall and later by the Burma Education Extension Association. It spawned off a sister Burmese language monthly Ganda Lawka [1]
The literature of Myanmar spans over a millennium. The Burmese language, unlike other Southeast Asian languages, adopted words primarily from Pāli rather than from Sanskrit. In addition, Burmese literature tends to reflect local folklore and culture.
Zawgyi was a distinguished and leading Burmese poet, author, literary historian, critic, scholar and academic. His name, Zawgyi, refers to a mythical wizard from Burmese mythology. He was one of the leaders of the Hkit san movement in Burmese literature searching for a new style and content before the Second World War, along with Theippan Maung Wa, Nwe Soe and Min Thu Wun. His first hkit san poetry, Padauk pan, was published in Hantha Kyemon pamphlet.
Myanmar–English Dictionary is a modern Government project in Myanmar, first published in 1993 by the Government of Myanmar's Myanmar Language Commission.
Burmese English is the register of the English language used in Myanmar (Burma), spoken as first or second language by an estimated 2.4 million people, about 5% of the population (1997). The English language was initially introduced to the country during the British colonial period, spanning from 1824 until independence in 1948.
Theippan Maung Wa was a Burmese writer, and one of the pioneers of the Hkit San literary movement. The movement searched for a new style and content in Burmese literature before the Second World War starting with Hkit san ponbyin.
The Myanmar Language Commission is the pre-eminent government body on matters pertaining to the Burmese language. It is responsible for several projects including the Myanmar–English Dictionary (1993) and MLC Transcription System for Romanization of Burmese.
Ludu Daw Amar was a well known and respected leading dissident writer and journalist in Mandalay, Burma. She was married to fellow writer and journalist Ludu U Hla and was the mother of popular writer Nyi Pu Lay. She is best known for her outspoken anti-government views and radical left wing journalism besides her outstanding work on traditional Burmese arts, theatre, dance and music, and several works of translation from English, both fiction and non-fiction.
Thakin Kodaw Hmaing is considered one of the greatest Burmese poets, writers and political leaders in the 20th century history of Burma. He is regarded as the Father of Burmese nationalist and peace movements as well as a literary genius. His legacy and influence on the post-war generations can still be felt in both literature and the ongoing political situation in Myanmar (Burma).
Dr. Hla Pe was a prominent Burmese language linguist and a longtime contributor to the Myanmar–English Dictionary. He was professor of Burmese language and culture at the University of London from 1966 to 1980.
Pe Maung Tin was a scholar of Pali and Buddhism and educator in Myanmar, formerly Burma. Born to an Anglican family at Pauktaw, Insein Township, Rangoon, he was the fifth child of U Pe and Daw Myaing. His grandfather was the first Burmese pastor of Henzada. He learnt the basic Buddhist texts at a local private school before he went to Rangoon Government High School where he won a scholarship at age 14.
John William Alan Okell OBE was a British linguist notable for his expertise in the field of Burma studies.
The Tibeto-Burman languages are the non-Sinitic members of the Sino-Tibetan language family, over 400 of which are spoken throughout the Southeast Asian Massif ("Zomia") as well as parts of East Asia and South Asia. Around 60 million people speak Tibeto-Burman languages. The name derives from the most widely spoken of these languages, Burmese and the Tibetic languages, which also have extensive literary traditions, dating from the 12th and 7th centuries respectively. Most of the other languages are spoken by much smaller communities, and many of them have not been described in detail.
The Kingdom of Ava was the dominant kingdom that ruled upper Burma (Myanmar) from 1365 to 1555. Founded in 1365, the kingdom was the successor state to the petty kingdoms of Myinsaing, Pinya and Sagaing that had ruled central Burma since the collapse of the Pagan Empire in the late 13th century.
Intha and Danu are southern Burmish languages of Shan State, Burma, spoken respectively by the Intha and Danu people, the latter of whom are Bamar descendants who migrated to Inle Lake in Shan State. Considered to be dialects of Burmese by the Government of Myanmar, Danu has 93% lexical similarity with standard Burmese, while Intha has 95% lexical similarity with standard Burmese. Intha and Danu differ from standard Burmese with respect to pronunciation of certain phonemes, and few hundred local vocabulary terms. Language contact has led to increasing convergence with standard Burmese. Both are spoken by about 100,000 people each.
The Tavoyan or Dawei dialect of Burmese (ထားဝယ်စကား) is spoken in Dawei (Tavoy), in the coastal Tanintharyi Region of southern Myanmar (Burma).
Myo Min was a Burmese academic, journalist and writer, who wrote under the pen names of Nwe Soe, U Myo Min and Myint Win. He was one of the founders of the Khit-San Sarpay movement, the first modern literary movement in the history of Burmese literature. He was the longtime Professor of English at Rangoon University and later at Yangon Institute of Education. He also served in several academic and research organizations, including the Burma Historical Commission, the Burma Research Society, and the Burma Translation Society. For his services to the country, he was awarded the honorary titles of Wunna Kyawhtin in 1954 and Thiri Pyanchi in 1961 by the government.
The Burma Education Extension Association was a Rangoon (Yangon)-based educational organization founded by JS Furnivall to promote "the intellectual advancement of the country", and the predecessor organization to the Burma Translation Society.
Ganda Lawka was a Burmese language monthly magazine published by the Burma Education Extension Association. The magazine was a sister publication of The World of Books, the English language monthly started by JS Furnivall, and "welcomed modern Burmese prose, original ideas and criticism." It was edited by a succession of young Burmese writers, including Zawgyi, Min Thu Wun, Sein Tin and Nwe Soe.
Kyipwayay was a pre-World War II Burmese language monthly magazine, closely identified with the Khit-San Sarpay movement, the first modern literary movement in the history of Burmese literature. The magazine was founded by U Thein in Yangon but later taken over by U Hla and moved to Mandalay in 1933. The monthly was published even during the Japanese occupation of the country (1942–1945). After the war, U Hla transformed Kyipwayay into the Ludu Journal.
Ponnya, known honorifically as U Ponnya, was one of Burma's most prominent dramatists. Ponnya is considered one of Burma's greatest literary figures, known for his elegant wit and clarity of language.