Books about Myanmar: What to read before visiting Myanmar

Beyond travel guides, we can only advise you to accompany your discovery of the country with some books about Myanmar, from elaborate novels to travel memoirs.

• Burmese Days - George Orwell

Orwell’s first novel (and one of the most famous books about Myanmar) follows the adventures of John Flory, a British merchant in Myanmar. Through the adventures of his characters, Orwell describes the corruption and superior attitudes that existed during British colonialism. Orwell himself spent five years in Burma as a policeman in the 1920s which inspired this novel.


• The River of Lost Footsteps: A Personal History of Burma - Thant Myint-U



This book describes Thant Myint-U’s own family history, in particular, that of his grandfather who impressively rose from being a local school headmaster to being the UN Secretary General in the 1960s. One of the most inspiring books about Myanmar, it is an excellent general introduction to Myanmar’s complex history that documents the country’s political shifts and transformations.



• Miss Burma - Charmaine Craig



Inspired by the true story of Craig’s mother and grandparents during and after WWII. This novel mixes facts with fiction, describing Craig’s mother’s childhood and time as a 1950s beauty queen and film star, up to the point when she gave up her dazzling Rangoon life to become a commander in a guerrilla army that was fighting for the independence of Karen State. One of our favourite books about Myanmar!



• From the Land of Green Ghosts - Pascal Khoo Thwe



Khoo Thwe’s autobiography documents the remarkable story of how a village boy from rural Shan State ended up studying at Cambridge University. From his younger years in a remote village still driven by animistic beliefs, to the 1988 pro-democracy uprising that brought fame to Aung San Suu Kyi and his time as a soldier in a rebel army in the jungles of southern Myanmar, this book tells the story of an unbelievable journey of courage.



• Twilight over Burma: My Life as a Shan Princess - Inge Sargent



When the prince of Hsipaw (a region of the Shan Mountains) marries a local Austrian woman, she moves back home with him to Myanmar in 1953 where she is greeted with a royal welcome. This autobiography is the personal story of a foreign woman ruling by her husband’s side to improve the lives of his subjects. She documents the social and political changes in 20th century Myanmar from an unlikely perspective and the result is one of the most charming books about Myanmar.