Letters from Burma [Paperback]

Aung San Suu Kyi (Author), Fergal Keane (Introduction)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1998

For the last fiftenn years of Burma's traumatic history, Aung San Suu Kyi has been the inspirational leader of attempts to restore democracy to her country. In these fifty-two pieces she paints a vivid, poignant yet fundamentally optimistic picture of her native land. She evokes the country's seasons and scenery, customs and festivities, and describes an inspirational pilgrimage to the Buddhist abbot of Thamanya. She celebrates the courageous army officers, academics and actors who have supported the National League for Democracy, often at great personal risk, and she sets out a comprehensive programme for economic reform. A passionate advocate of better health care and education, and the need for ethical foreign investment in Burma's future, Aung San Suu Kyi reveals an acute insight into the impact of political decisions on ordinary people's lives. She examines the terrible traumas inflicted on children of imprisoned dissidents - children allowed to see their parents for fifteen minutes every fortnight - the effect of inflation on the national diet and of state repression on traditions of hospitality. One woman's vision, humanity and commitment to political and ethnic harmony won her party an overwhelming victory in the elections of May 1990; every facet of her personality is powerfully displayed here.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Japanese

About the Author

Aung San Suu Kyi is the leader of the struggle for human rights and democracy in Burma. In 1990 she was awarded the Thorolf Rafto Prize for Human Rights in Norway and the Sakharov Prize for Freedom of Thought by the European Parliament and in 1991 she was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize. She is the author of several Penguin books, including FREEDOM FROM FEAR and THE VOICE OF HOPE.

Product Details

• Paperback: 384 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (January 1, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140264035
• ISBN-13: 978-0140264036
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #607,031 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > History > Asia > Myanmar

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

51 of 53 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Much more than just a book !, December 30, 2000

By 

Maurizio Giuliano (Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Letters from Burma (Paperback)

This is not just a book. Along with Aung San Suu Kyi's two other major books ("Freedom from Fear" and "Voice of Hope"), this book is destined to be at the heart of the struggle - and eventually the victory - for democracy in Burma. Among the three, this is the one I found most wonderful. Vivid, direct, it makes the reader feel as if she/he is listening to Suu Kyi, with her wonderful Asian voice and Oxford accent. Suu Kyi talks about Burma, about her people, about herself. She tells of the tragedies of her people, in the most natural and serene way, as if she were telling of everyday life - because indeed, this is the Burmese everyday life. She does not inflate things, she does not push for her views, yet she reaches the reader's heart immediately - at least she did with me ! She simply expresses views and feelings along with plenty of thrilling facts and anecdotes. I can't imagine of any reader who won't love this book and won't feel inspired by this account from Burma's heroine. After reading this and the other books, I felt so close to Burma's struggle that I absoliutely had to go there and meet Suu in person. So I did, I took off for Burma and managed to meet her. I had met many world personalities before, but this was truly a unique event in my life. The pages of the book kept coming back to my mind, as I could finally see the source of all that strength and hope, the incarnation of Burma's struggle. In the end I was deported from Burma for having made contact with her. Now these books are my inspiration to keep fighting on for democracy in Burma in all ways I can.

33 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insight into the plight of Burmese Democracy, April 10, 2000

By 

A. Klein (San Francisco, CA United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Letters from Burma (Paperback)

This is a collection of 52 essays that Aung San Suu Kyi had written in the mid 1990's for a Japanese newspaper. She discusses a full range of topics including politics, religion, and the daily life of the Burmese people as seen through the eyes of the country's biggest proponent of democracy.

Her tales are fascinating and well written. They offer a glimpse into the world of an almost Orwellian regime and can peak the interest of readers unfamiliar with Burma's current state of unrest.

As a recent traveller to Burma, I was looking for more detail into Burma's history and details surrounding the nullified election in 1990. Though these issues are touched upon, each essay is a mere 2.5 page newspaper article which does not lend itself to such depth. It is however a fascinating read and a great introduction to Burma's struggle for democracy.

28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Delicately put, December 5, 2004

By 

Debby Ng (Singapore) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Letters from Burma (Paperback)

An eloquently written piece that will be finished in a few sittings, Suu Kyi's Letters from Burma is a collection of short essays she submitted to the Japanese newspaper Mainichi Shinbun.

It is likely that because it has been written for a mass audience, you will find 'Letters from Burma' easier to digest than her other books, Freedom from Fear and Voice of Hope.

A remarkable politician, she examines Burma through its common people and the everyday lives that are led. As with all of Suu Kyi's books, she takes care to not forget why her party is fighting for democracy - its people.

She discusses Burmese politics sans the jargon, allowing this book to be appreciated by everyone, even if new to the situation in Burma.

She included in her writings, several wonderful quotes from English, Japanese and Burmese poems, reflecting her regard of the arts. The title 'Letters from Burma' more than merely states the intention of each of the 52 entries in this book. Her entries are personal, light-hearted, frustrated, or balanced. They are addressed to the reader, bringing him/her into the world of Burma, and seeing it as it is for a lay person.

She has managed to make getting aquainted with politics so beautiful and enjoyable, through which i suppose she nurtures the concern and interest in matters of her state, that you are likely to re-read certain entries, if not the whole book again once you're through it.