Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay

And so….
Silently, they flow from the nib,
Those little words and lines
to quake the head, quench the heart,
to mould and move the minds,
And awesome too, is that hand;
which sets the pen to work
come what may rain or shine
From duty, will not shirk
Moe Hein (son Journal Kyaw)

THIS English poem, Awesome, was written by U Moe Hein, a son of Journal Kyaw U Chit Maung, and Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, who were prominent figures in the history of Myanmar literary world. The poem was dedicated to his mother, writer Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, for her perseverance, strength, and devotion to her pen.

Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay (1917-1982), 23 years after her death , still lives in the minds of her readers. Her novels are still prominent in the bookstores, and still in big demand too. Most of her readers, who range in age from 20 to 80, will say that Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay is their favorite author.

Why has her success and fame lasted so long? Many of her contemporaries and even younger writers describe her as a genius who could make simple everyday matters into readable, interesting books which reflected the lives and concerns of her readers.

Dagon Tayar, a famous poet and writer, who was a close friend of Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, wrote: “Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay wrote all her stories with her heart, and also in sympathy with her characters’ feelings. She went straight to the hearts of her characters. She made her stories with heart, and so her stories also touched the hearts of readers.”

U Thein Soe, the grandson of Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, a founder of Thiha Yadanar publishing house, shared his views on the books of his grandma, from a readers’ point of view.

“She used to write very clearly and perfectly , without adding her personal feelings or comments. That’s why her novels are still the favorites of every age, even today,” he said.

One of her fans, university lecturer Daw Thidar, said, “What I like most is the authenticity of her novels. And her female characters are pure and sincere which sets an ideal personality for Myanmar girls.”

For a woman of her time, Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay was a wonderful and unique figure with much strength, perseverance, capability, and loving kindness.

Dagon Tayar said, “As a human being, she was afraid of hurting others’ feelings. She did have that loving kindness, and she treated people with it too. She also created her characters in novels with that kindness. I saw her as a kind flower.”

Saya Paragu, a writer, and also a friend of Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay, shared his views, “She was really a smart lady, and the top female writer of her time.”

She first came to prominence when she married U Chit Maung, the chief editor of Myanmar Ah Lin (The Light of Myanmar) newspaper. In 1939, the couple published their own journal, Journal Kyaw (The Weekly Thunder). She managed the journal as the publisher. From that time, she took the pen name Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay and started writing articles and short stories.

Her husband died in 1946 and she was left with three children to bring up.

Despite being a young widow Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay displayed her talent and ability as a writer and publisher of the journal and the newspaper.

Unfortunately, she could only run the press only for a few years due to the situation in the country.

However, she continued her career as a writer and was also the president of the Writers Association in 1948, which was most unusual for a female.

Travelling the world was not easy for a woman at that time but Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay managed it. She went to India, Japan, China and Russia, attending conferences and touring the countries.

She wrote about 20 books and many articles and short stories in the monthly magazines. Some of her masterpieces are Thu Lo Lu (Such a great man) which was about her husband, and their married lives, Seik (Spirit), Mone Ywe Ma Hu (Not out of hate), Yin Nint Aung Hmwe (Right to the core of the heart) , and Thway (Genes), Among them, Thu Lo Lu was the most famous. Dagon Tayar wrote, “The success of Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay reached its peak with this novel. The wife wrote a biography of her husband, an editor. It was the combination of love and art, and that combination made the book unique and interesting.”

However, Mone Ywe Ma Hu (Not out of hate), written in 1955, and a literary award winning book, also piqued the interest of foreigners and it was translated into English, French, Russian, Uzbeks, and Chinese.

Margaret Aung Thwin, the translator for the English version, said, “Ma Ma Lay was a modern Myanmar’s foremost author as well as a tireless journalist with a vigorous intellect. She was a major participant in the creation of modern Myanmar literature. Her works were realistic treatments of serious cultural and social themes. Not out of Hate should be of interest to Myanmar specialists and to anyone in the fields of comparative literature. It can be read as a human document that speaks a universal language.

“It is also the first Myanmar novel to be translated into English and published outside of Myanmar. The novel offers the reader a remarkable series of insights into the social history of the late colonial period and into the conflict between the western and Myanmar culture, still an issue in Myanmar’s life. The work also provides a poignant and pointed commentary on a young girl’s struggle against misunderstanding and a suffocating love.”

Thway (Genes) is about the victims of World War II - a half sister and brother, the Japanese girl and the boy half Japanese, half Myanmar - their conflicts and the sorrowful consequences of war. It was translated into Japanese and Thai and is now being made into a film by a Japanese director with Myanmar actors and actresses.

“The intentions of my mother writing this book were to review the disadvantages of war, to have sympathy for the victims, and to learn from the experience,” her son, U Moe Hein wrote.

Another famous ability of Journal Kyaw Ma Ma Lay was her life as a traditional medicine practitioner. After her husband’s death she became interested in traditional medicine and wrote many articles about it.

This remarkable woman of great capabilities died at the age of 65 on April 6, 1982 and her colleagues and readers are still mourning her loss.

Even though 23 years have passed since her death, her name lives on. Not only are her novels still being reprinted but her work is still referred to by writers and critics as a supreme example of Myanmar literature. It demonstrates that although the body of the writer might die, her works live as long as there are people reading books.