Q&A With San Lin Tun 

San Lin Tun is an author, poet, lyricist, literary translator, literary guide, editor & writing coach. San is the author of An English Writer, Yangon Days, & is working on his next novel A Classroom for Mr. K.T. 

Q: San Lin, can you give a brief description of each of your books starting with Yangon Days? 

A: Yangon Days includes twenty-six short stories, and they are about common Yangon residents, ranging from job seeker, wedding planner, magazine illustrator, trishaw paddler, hairdresser, writer, etc. and some famous buildings such as Sofaer Building, City Hall, Pansodan Jetty, Inya Lake Hotel, etc. All the stories tell real human sensations such as humor, irony, parental love, hope for success, dejection, etc. Moreover, the stories are woven in the present and past histories of the city. So, Yangon Days will make you familiarize yourself with not only the city and its people but also the abundance of its past and present history. 

My first book “Legendary Heroes of Myanmar” is about Myanmar kings and heroes of the past. “Ancient Myanmar Heroes” is also about Myanmar warriors, kings, ministers, etc. My first short story collection “A Classic Night at Café Blues and Other Stories” is mostly about family issues while some short ones are modernist writings. “The Enigma of Big Bunny’s Arrival and Other Short Stories” is about ordinary people, comprising four different backgrounds such as urban background, village and ward background, Imaginative background and real-life background. My first essay collection “Reading A George Orwell Novel in a Myanmar Teashop and Other Essays” includes about fifty essays, and it is mainly about renowned buildings in Yangon, some literary events in the city, prominent figures, etc. My next essay collection “An iSmart Bus Ride and Other Essays” is an inspiration resulting from reading the former humor book titled “Burmese Sunshine” by a Myanmar famous author, Dr Maung Maung Pye. I have another essay collection titled “Yangon Street Walker” is a sequel to a book “Walking the Streets of Yangon” by Dr. Bob Percival, my writing partner and editor. “A Shirt and Other Poems” and “Waves and Other Poems” are my poetry collections. “Walking Down An Old Literary Road” is my first fiction and it is about a young man who seeks his knowledge through informal learning and establishes his successful life. My three books for children with my own illustrations are “Learning Alphabets”, “Flying With A Balloon” and “My Birthday.”  My full-fledged novel “An English Writer” is a historical one, depicting the less-known life of a British poet and writer, C. J Richards. 

Q: I enjoy reading and I know you obviously enjoy reading and writing! What made you want to be an author, poet, lyricist, literary translator, literary guide, editor & a writing coach? What are your favorite and least favorite parts about each of these roles & why?

A: It has been my ambition since my high school days to be a writer who writes in English. I met a private English teacher, U Tun Thein who taught me English well. Because of him, I got a distinction in English in my matriculation exam. I usually imagine myself how good I am to be a writer who writes about people, their relationships, their problems, etc. At first, I am just a writer who simply writes stories, but I am not content with writing stories alone and I begin to write some poems and then, I become a poet. Based on my poems, I try to create some music and those poems become lyrics. As a literary translator, I used to work with a British Council literary project named H2 project, and I translated some short stories for them. When I started to show people some interesting literary places in Yangon, I became a literary guide. I started to work as a guest editor for literary magazines such as Ambrosial Literary Magazine, Open Leaf Press Review, etc. I occasionally carry out writing courses for people who like to know about composition and rhetoric. 

Q: What advice would you give to anyone wanting to be an author, poet, lyricist, literary translator, literary guide, editor & a writing coach & how to juggle all of them?

A: Perseverance is the key to everything. Sometimes, it will lead one after another and you will be happy to see how progressive you are in your writing career.

Q: When is your novel A Classroom for Mr. K.T. come out? Other than A Classroom for Mr. K.T. Are you working on any other stories, poems & literary translations? If so, can you give any details?

A: I am slow in writing a novel. I couldn’t believe it when Arundhati Roy said it took more than a decade to finish her novel “The Ministry of Utmost Happiness”. Later, I came to accept it when I had such an experience. I think my novel A Classroom for Mr. K.T will come out in a couple of years. But I don’t have a deadline for that. In the meantime, I write short stories, poems, and some lyrics.  

Q: You currently live in Yangon Myanmar. What are your favorite places in Yangon? Could you describe it as though it were scenes from a story you wrote?

A: My favorite places in Yangon are tea shops, cinema halls and museums. Imagine how busy Yangon tea shops are these days. You can have different tastes of tea ranging from strong, less strong, and normal tea. You can also meet your friends for chatting and socializing while enjoying tea. 

Placing a steamy bowl of Mohinga (rice vermicelli) gravy with some gourd fritters, bean fritters, coriander, etc. in front of you, you order a cup of pot seint (less strong and sweet) for your ideal breakfast. There will be red chili if you want spicy, and if you want salty, there is a bottle of fish paste. You thoroughly stir up those ingredients in the gravy bowl, the steam rising up from the bowl will tickle your nostrils. You cannot resist it, and your mouth will start to water. So, you spontaneously try a spoonful of it. The taste is remarkable. Then, add the next spoon and next spoon until the whole bowl has no more Mohingar. To soothe the flavour, you know that a cup of tea is perfect for that.

Q: What lessons & emotions do you hope readers learn and feel after reading your work? 

A: We normally learn about humanity through human experiences. Some of my stories will give irony in life, some will be purely humor, some are realities of life. Depending on the stories, readers will have different feelings, and afterthoughts.