James Hla Kyaw
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1866
James Hla Kyaw | |
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| လှကျော် | |
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| Born | Hla Kyaw 1866 |
| Died | 1919 (aged 52–53) |
| Occupations | Novelist, Lawyer, Translator |
| Known for | Maung Yin Maung, Ma Me Ma |
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James Hla Kyaw (1866-1919), also known as U Hla Kyaw (Burmese: ဦးလှကျော်), was a pioneer Burmese novelist and author of the first Burmese novel titled Maung Yin Maung, Ma Me Ma. Burmese novels had existed before but they were written in verse not in prose. Most of these novels were based on Buddhism, myth and legend and history of Burma; therefore there were no novels that were based on everyday lives like Maung Yin Maung, Ma Me Ma.
Born in 1866 to a Buddhist family, James Hla Kyaw converted to Christianity after his parents died when he was young, and he was sent to live with his uncle's family who were also Christian converts. James Hla Kyaw was a bright student at school, and he went on to pass many examinations including law. He married four times. His first wife was Ma Khin Htay Ngwe with whom he had two children but later separated. He had no children with his second or third wife, and he died while he was married to his fourth wife, Ma Min Thar. He reverted to Buddhism later in his life after he had studied the Buddha's teachings.
He worked as a bank manager, and a mayor in towns, Sagaing, Chaung-U, Budalin. James Hla Kyaw's health deteriorated while he was working as a provincial mayor in Myinmu, a provincial town north of Mandalay. He returned to Rangoon to seek medical treatment but his health continued to deteriorate; therefore, he retired at the age of 37. He decided to write Maung Yin Maung, Ma Me Ma while living in Sint O Dan, Rangoon. He wrote several articles in the Hanthawaddy, the Friend of Burma and the Burma Critics Newspapers. His health turned for the worse after he suffered a stroke. He still could not move his left arm, even after he had recovered. Following his doctor's advice he later moved to a warmer place, Meiktila in Upper Burma, where he died at the age of 53.
