Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess (Kolowalu Books) [Paperback]

Inge Sargent (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Sargent's sad, exotic story survives her deeply flawed telling of it, but she would have been better advised to stick with a straightforward memoir. While at school in Colorado in the early '50s, the Austrian-born author met and married fellow student Sao Kya Seng. Because he wanted a wife who would marry him "for the right reasons," Sao chose not to tell Inge he was prince of Hsipaw, one of 34 independent Shan states in northeastern Burma (although the convertible Nash Rambler and the ruby-and-diamond engagement ring might have tipped her off.) For eight years the couple presided over the modernization of their small state, sadly unaware of the weak poltical leadership plaguing Burma since the 1947 assassination of General Aung San (father of jailed Nobel laureate Aung San Suu Kyi). Then in 1962, General Ne Win seized power and Sao disappeared. Shadowed by Ne Win's men, Sargent waited desperately for news of her husband, until two years later friends convinced her to escape to Austria. Sargent's descriptions of life in the small, tropical state and of her machinations to smuggle out her daughters (both Burmese citizens) are strong enough to withstand her unconvincing re-creation of decades-old dialogue (even extensive sections on the vanished Sao's unknowable last thoughts) and the near-fatal decision to write in third person. Much of the book smacks of writing school exercises and the gutsy author often seems self-indulgent in descriptions of herself: "this attractive and unusual girl had constantly been on his mind. Her warmth, her cheerfulness, and her poise made him long for her company."
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Library Journal

To marry a prince should portend living happily ever after in a kingdom filled with tranquillity and love. Sargent's "ever after" with her Shan prince lasted little more than a decade: in a 1962 coup d'etat by Burmese Army General Ne Win, her husband, Sao Kya Seng, the Prince of Hsipaw (a Shan state in Northern Burma) was executed. An Austrian by birth, Sargent records in a tender, affecting manner their courtship and her introduction and adaptation to the varied social and cultural aspects of Shan life. Without being doctrinaire, she comments on the dictatorship of Ne Win and clearly presents the plight of the Burmese people. Her story can be viewed in the larger context of the human condition in the 20th century. And yet with all her universal themes of love and the needs of the state, Sargent never forgets the intimate detail that makes this narrative so personal and heartbreaking to read. For public libraries.
John F. Riddick, Central Michigan Univ. Lib., Mt. Pleasant
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 244 pages
• Publisher: University of Hawaii Press (September 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0824816285
• ISBN-13: 978-0824816285
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #164,447 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > History > Asia > Myanmar

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 23 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Fairy tale in the Land of Regrets, March 11, 2001

By 

Joanna Daneman (Middletown, DE USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess (Kolowalu Books) (Paperback)

Austrian student Inge Sargent married a Shan prince from Hsipaw. (She claims she wasn't even aware of his high status until she saw the welcoming throngs as they debarked on the shore in Burma. Imagine that little surprise if you were a new bride!) Eventually, the prince raises her to official consort-princess status. They raise two daughters and are deeply revered by the Shan people.

Inge's husband, Sao Kya Seng disappeared after the 1962 coup which brought the military dictator Ne Win to power. They keep her cynically in the dark about his fate for a long time.

My only objection to this book is that the author's portrait of herself and her prince husband is quite a bit idealized. Truly great autobiographies are a bit more self-critical and introspective. This book is too "fairy-tale" and good to be true to life. That is why I give the book three stars and not more.

If you are interested in more about Myanmar (Burma) and how the current regime came to power, this is good reading, nonetheless. It will give you some historical background about why there is a huge conflict between the military regime in Yangon (Rangoon) and Nobel Peace Laureate Aung San Suu Kyi, who is the dissent leader under house arrest.

The Shan state is one of many sub-nationalities that make up the very mixed Burmese nation. I was privileged to make a short visit to the Shan state a few years ago before it became difficult to do so. Burma was often called the Land of Regrets because it haunts people who visit and they long to return. It truly is the Land of Regrets. I hope things will change someday soon for the better, as it is a uniquely wonderful land.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Account of life in Burma spanning the military take over in, April 29, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess (Kolowalu Books) (Paperback)

Austrian marries American educated and deeply caring feudal ruler of a Shan state in central Burma. This highly personal account of life in Burma in the 50's and early 60's is shattered by the brutal repression of the Shan state ruling class by the military dictatorship of Ne Win which seized power in 1962 from the civil government of U Nu. Facinating for its observation of life in the Shan States over this period though perhaps observed with little critical perception. The book conveys the deep horror of the human rights abuses perpetrated by the repressive Burman military regime dominated by Ne Win which continues with little change to the present day. A significant contribution to the understanding of life in the Shan State in the 50's and 60's as seen through the eyes of 'foreigner'. The book also graphically demonstrates the way in which a repressive military regime is able to dominate a deeply religious Bhuddist people and to ignore human rights while showing scant regard for human life. 27 years later the repression continues with little change.

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Tragedy and Hope, July 21, 2003

By 

Richard W. Hughes "Richard Hughes" (Fallbrook, CA USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Twilight Over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess (Kolowalu Books) (Paperback)

Like another reviewer, I must confess that I was a student at the Boulder, CO school where Inge taught German classes. While I was not her student, my friends were. Never once did they let on about Inge's previous life.

18 years old, I set out around the world. By 19, I was in Burma, a country I fell in love with, and visited so many times over the next decade. I also came to understand Burmese politics.

At age 35, after most of my adult life spent in SE Asia, I moved back to Boulder. Late one night, I saw Inge on a PBS station, describing her book. Wow!

I immediately bought the book.

Let me say this: Some people talk, others have no need to do so, because they have lived. Inge has lived, and continues to do so. This book is the story of just one portion of her life. Absolutely incredible, abolutely unbelievable, absolutely true.

Forget the naysayers here. This is the real deal. A wonderful book, simultaneously terrific and bittersweet.