Writer, translator and photojournalist Letyar Tun joins us at Aston University to discuss and read from new British Council collection Hidden Words, Hidden Worlds: Contemporary Short Stories from Myanmar.

It is the first anthology from Myanmar to be published in English and unearths the suppressed stories of seven Burmese-language writers paired with seven writers from the ethnic regions. It goes beyond the familiar lens of isolation and dictatorship, reframing Myanmar as a country of reflection and transition. It is the culmination of a five year British Council programme which provided writing and translation workshops in the country. The results are stories which span its cities and mountains, from a child imprisoned in Yangon in the south to the jaded Kachin miner in the north.

Joining us to discuss and read his featured short story is Letyar Tun. After working with the newspaper Nyinyootyay (‘To Unite’) for the 1988 democratic movement as well as actively demonstrating and fighting against the Burmese government, he was imprisoned for 18 years, 14 of which was spent on death row. Since he regained his freedom, Tun has worked for Radio France and the Fojo Media Institute, given a number of talks on media freedoms in Myanmar and produced a range of photographic and literary collections. He is a 2015 graduate from the Link the Wor(l)ds literary translation programme and has recently gained scholarship to study at the inaugural School for Interpretation and Translation in Yangon.

Letyar Tun will be in conversation with Will Buckingham, a freelance writer and philosopher with particular interests in East and South-East Asia. His anthropological memoir Stealing with the Eyes is due out from Haus Publishing in 2018. Will has worked in Universities in the UK and China. Most recently, he was Visiting Professor of Humanities and Global Cultures at the Parami Institute in Yangon, Myanmar. Will is currently based in Leicester in the UK.

The free event and a free copy of the book will be available for attendees.

This event is organized in collaboration with the British Council.

It is supported by Writing West Midlands and Aston University.