On December 8, 1941, a young girl was waiting to be picked up from a prestigious school in what was then known as Rangoon when a newspaper vendor passed by and yelled out: “The Japanese have attacked Pearl Harbor! The Americans rally to war! Get your papers! I repeat, the Japanese have attacked and America is now at war!”
Stunned, the girl bought a copy and asked the seller what the headlines meant.
“Sister, sister,” he said. “Burma is going to fight now. Don’t you know that?”
The story comes from a fascinating new memoir, A Burmese Heart, written by Tinsa Maw-Naing and her granddaughter, Yin Mon Vanessa Han.
Tinsa brings a fresh and intimate perspective to a seemingly well-known story. Born in 1927, she was the eldest daughter of Ba Maw, Burma’s first prime minister under the British. When she grew up, she married independence fighter Bo Yan Naing. Her life provided a close-up view of some of the major events of the colonial era and the early years of the military junta.
She even went to jail.
What makes the story more interesting is its collaborative nature. Han wrote the book, using interviews with her grandmother and other figures. She also did her own research. Tinsa died last year, but through A Burmese Heart her story has been lovingly preserved. Below is an interview we did with Han about her grandmother, Burmese history, and writing a memoir of a family member. Responses have been edited for length and clarity.
1) Tell us a little bit about how the book came about?
Growing up, I had always heard stories about my great-grandparents, grandparents, and the independence heroes. In a way, I’ve been writing this story in my mind my whole life. I finished my master’s degree in 2011 and my grandmother persuaded me to move back to Yangon in 2012, and I began to interview her shortly after I arrived. I don’t remember there being a grand scene of initiation. It was quite the contrary and very organic. My grandmother and I were talking about the past, like any other time, only this time I thought to grab a pen and paper.
2) Are you a writer full time or was this a project you took on personally?
This was a personal project that I worked on outside of my professional life. In addition to writing, I am the Founder and former Managing Director of Myanmar Mentors, a non-profit initiative that advises talented young students who want to further their studies abroad. I’m also the Founding Curator of the World Economic Forum’s Global Shapers Yangon Hub, a collective of young leaders from a variety of industries. We perform community development projects in Yangon.
3) What was the writing and editing process like and how long did it all take?
The entire process took over three years, separated into three phases. The first phase, in which I interviewed my grandmother and other figures, researched events, and wrote the initial draft, took one year. The next phase, which was purely editing and lasted another year, was arguably the most challenging. It was important for me to set certain limits because I am a perfectionist and am always searching for the perfect words, which in theory can go on forever. Luckily I hired a wonderful editor in San Francisco who specializes in narrative non-fiction and memoir, and she helped to guide me through the final steps and touchups.
The third phase, which I am currently in, involves marketing and selling ABH [A Burmese Heart]. It is a business after all, and self-publishing a book is essentially creating a product and marketing it to a targeted audience. In my case, I’m targeting those interested in Myanmar history, and hoping that my grandmother’s unique story of a woman surviving history will also attract a wider audience.
4) What separates A Burmese Heart from other popular memoirs about political life in Myanmar?
For one, ABH covers a great length of time spanning the colonial, war, independence, and dictatorship eras. I’m not sure if there are other memoirs that cover quite so much ground, but I hope that more stories will come out. So much of our history has been lost or erased, and it’s important to capture what we can before it’s too late.
Also, my grandmother was privy to the inner workings of political life yet was not directly involved herself, both an insider and outsider. She liked to think of herself as an objective observer, a witness who happened to have access to very important people and events, though she was later jailed herself. My grandmother just wanted to tell things as they were, and was more at liberty to explore the more emotional and vulnerable aspects of history.
5) What was your relationship like with both your grandparents? Were you closer to your grandmother? Did you all live in the same city?
I was close with both of my grandparents though I did not have much time with my grandfather, Bo Yan Naing, who passed away in 1989 when I was quite young. I was extremely close with my grandmother who was the matriarch and spine of our family. When my family moved to the U.S., she came to live with us for several years and helped to raise my brother and me. As a former literature teacher, she taught me to love reading and always had a stack of books on her bedside table.
6) Compared to other books, what conventional assumptions about the personalities of historical characters are most challenged?
The book’s aim is not necessarily to challenge conventional assumptions about historical figures. The leaders of those eras – The Freedom Bloc, Thakins, Thirty Comrades, Sayar San, resistance fighters – are undoubtedly and deservedly heroes. Beyond what is written in textbooks, my grandmother provides an account of them as people in addition to heroes, showing their emotional states and personal reactions as events unfolded.
People often forget that many of the leaders – including her own father, mother, and husband – came from humble backgrounds and had to fight to get to where they were. They were truly self-made men and women, and my grandmother was witness to their struggles behind the scenes, of the moments of self-doubt, fear, happiness and triumph. I think that her personal memories of them enhance their legacies, because readers can see how hard they worked behind the scenes in order to achieve such great feats.
7) What kinds of responses have you gotten so far from Burmese readers?
It’s been overwhelmingly positive from both professional reviewers and readers. I truly appreciate people from the older to younger generations taking the time to reach out to me, particularly those who went through similar experiences. Some of the most meaningful responses I’ve received are from readers who were political prisoners during that era or who were affected by a family member’s detention, and wrote to tell me that the book accurately depicts what they went through. It’s an honor to hear that they relate to her story.
8) Is there a Burmese translation or are there plans for one?
I am currently working with a translator and the Burmese version should be available in a few months.
Above photo / Tinsa and Bo Yan Naing on their wedding day, June 23, 1944
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