National Literary Award -winning translator Ye Mya Lwin passes away at 78

RENOWNED translator and National Liter­ary Award win­ner Ye Mya Lwin (U Ye Lwin), who specialized in translating Japanese litera­ture and fiction directly into My­anmar, passed away on 25 Au­gust at the age of 78.

In a Myan­mar translation field tradition­ally dominated by Eng­lish-to-Myanmar transla­tions, Ye Mya Lwin was a pioneer who introduced Japanese literary master­pieces directly to Myanmar readers on an unprecedent­ed scale.

He rose to literary prominence through his di­rect translation of Natsume Sōseki’s acclaimed novel Botchan, which earned him the prestigious National Lit­erary Award. Throughout his career, he translated numerous other prominent Japanese literary works di­rectly into Myanmar.

A former staff member of the Embassy of Japan to Myanmar, Ye Mya Lwin frequently emphasized the importance of translation in promoting the country’s literary and artistic values. He often encouraged young people to read translated literature extensively and share their knowledge to contribute to national de­velopment.

The passing of writer Ye Mya Lwin represents a significant loss to Myan­mar’s literary and transla­tion communities. Readers, writers and literary peers across the country have expressed deep sadness and condolences over his death. — TWA/TH