Introduction
Kyi Kyi Tin-Myint, known by her pen name Kyi Aye (Burmese: ကြည်အေး) was a Burmese poet, novelist, and short story writer. Born in Yangon, she studied at University of Medicine and University of Yangon. She is credited as one of the most influential Burmese writers for several generations, however, her works remain largely unknown outside Burmese language.
Life and career
Kyi Kyi was born in British Burma's Hledan, Yangon district on December 13, 1929, the third child of U Han and Daw Ngwai Yon. In 1948, the year Burma regained its independence from the British, she began attending Rangoon University. She began as a medical student, but changed course in her third year, finishing school with a bachelor of arts instead. She received her BA from University of Yangon with a major in English literature. In 1953, she married a bank manager Tin Myint. After the marriage, she managed to work as a lecturer in the English Department of Yangon University and resumed her interrupted medical studies to completion.
She had begun writing poems and short stories since she was in high school. Her first short story, titled "That Night" (ထိုည) was published in Taya Magazine, which was founded by Dagon Taya in 1947. Her works were lifelike stories of the upper middle class. Her language was crisp and forceful. Her plots were frank and familiar. She used to write about the feelings of her characters without restraint.
She emigrated to the United States in December 1971, with her husband and children, where she obtained her medical license. She became a psychiatrist, specializing in Child and Adolescent psychiatry. She worked at a number of hospitals and institutions in the US and UK and retired in 2002. She died on December 28, 2016, of acute myeloid leukemia.
Works
Burmese
English
- "Working Elephants" (Essay), Back to Mandalay: Burmese Life, Past and Present edited by Gillian Cribbs, Abbeville Publishing Group, September, 1996.
Burmese Translation
- Jr. LeGrand Cannon, Look to the Mountain, 1955. (တောတောင်ရေမြေ)
- Pearl S. Buck, This Proud Heart, 1994. (ဤမာန)