BURMA - BURMESE - MYANMAR |
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BURMA - BURMESE - MYANMAR Stories, Folktales, Folklore, Fairy Tales, Legends, Myths, History, Nursery Rhymes, Fantasy & Facts Scroll down or click on your choice below • Books - Burma - Burmese - Myanmar - All ages • SOS: Searching Out Stories/Info - Burma - Burmese Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians |
BOOKS - BURMA - BURMESE - MYANMAR - ALL AGES
Book titles are in blue and underlined. Click on them to find out more about the books and how to buy them.
To retell any stories, obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
In performance, always credit your sources.
Alphabetized for your convenience with short descriptions to save you research time.
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Burmese Folk Tale (Folk Tales of the World S.) by Joanna Troughton. (1992) |
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Caged Ones (The) (Asian Portraits) by Ludu U. Hla.Imprisoned for political reasons in the 1950's (and later), Ludu U Hla--perhaps Burma's most prolific modern author and collector of Burmese folklore and cultural material--penned these sensitive portraits of his teenage fellows-behind-bars. His symphatetic probe of 'criminals' old and new, willing and unwilling, uncovers the social pressures and failings that turn the weak, the young and unfortunate against society, and harden them in a career of crime. This book won a UNESCO prize in 1958. |
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Folk-Tales of Burma (The): An Introduction (Handbook of Oriental Studies/Handbuch Der Orientalistik) |
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From Long Ago and Many Lands: Stories for Children Told Anew by Sophia Lyon Fahs.A retelling of about twenty old old stories, some of which you've heard many times and others which you haven't heard before. The author wants to show us how we can draw great inspiration from other cultures and other times. The kids will just enjoy hearing or reading these stories. One story you'll never forget is The Mustard Seed Medicine. |
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Golden Boy and Other Stories from Burma (Saw Wai Lwin Moe) by Irene Moilanen.27 folktales, fables and legends told by Burmese people to their children. The magic of legends, wisdom contained in ancient tales and the humour of fables captivates young and old alike. Besides providing good entertainment these stories reveal a lot about the daily life of the people who told them, about their inner-most beliefs and the eternal values of a people. What could be a better way to the heart of a culture than its ancient tales? |
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Life or Legend of Gaudama the Buddha of the Burmese (The), with annotations (Trubner's Oriental Series) by Paul Ambrose Bigandet. (2001) Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. Hesperides Press are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. |
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Shan's Lucky Knife: A Burmese Folk Tale Retold by Jean Merrill. (1960 - Ages 5-10) llustrated in orange, black, brown and white drawings by Ronni Solbert. In the hills of Burma, there is a saying, "The boy from the hills marks the side of the boat." If you ask the meaning of the saying, you will perhaps be told the story of Shan and his lucky knife.  |
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Snake Prince and Other Stories (The): Burmese Folk Tales (International Folk Tales Series) by Edna Ledgard. (1996 - Ages 4-8) The people of Burma/Myanmar call it Shwe Pyidaw, the Golden Land. Their fertile valley cradles in a horseshoe of mountains. When squabbling Western nations vied for control of the newly-mapped country a century ago, the local population had already lived in the mountainous land for over a millenium. The legends and tales rooted in animist religions created a rich tapestry of spirits that underlie the later arrival of Buddhism. 25 tales. |
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Wise Washerman (The): A Folktale from Burma by Deborah Froese. (1996 - Ages 4-8) A diverting folktale in lively, forthright prose. Aung Kyaing, a washerman, is so gifted at his work that "everyone believed that he worked magic in his worktub." Jealous of his hardworking neighbor's stature, a potter devises a nasty plot. Readers get a taste of Burmese names and works, for which phonetic pronunciations are supplied parenthetically. |
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Wonderland of Burmese Legends (A) by Khin Myo Chit. (1984) Takes the reader on a journey through the legendary and famous places of Burma, and relates the legends associated with each place, legends which are in the blood and soul of every Burmese - young or old. From Rangoon, Pegu and Prome to Sriksetra and up the Irrawaddy to Mandalay and Sagaing, a journey accompanied by Burma's best loved contemporary artist. |
SOS: SEARCHING OUT STORIES AND INFORMATION - BURMA - BURMESE - MYANMAR
Advice, Comments and References from Storytellers, Teachers and Librarians
(excerpts from Storytell posts plus original research)
Book titles, movie titles and online links are in blue and underlined. Click on them to get more information.
Story and song titles are in italics.
To retell any stories, obtain permission from the copyright holder if the material is not in the public domain.
Posts are added chronologically as they are received by Story Lovers World.
1) See A Kingdom Lost For A Drop Of Honey And Other Burmese Folktales
There's a version in the collection by Margaret Read MacDonald in Peace Tales
Diane de Las Casas 5/3/99
Bare bones version from Not Our Problem, as retold by Margaret Read MacDonald.
The King and his Advisor sit at the palace window eating breakfast and looking down on the street below. A drop of honey falls on the windowsill. He tells Advisor not to clean it up, servants will do it later. "It's not our problem." The drop of honey slides down the windowsill plopping onto the street below. A fly lands on the honey, a gecko springs out to swallow the fly, a cat sees the gecko and pounces and finally a dog attacks the cat. The alarm goes out about the fight, King says, "It's not our problem." Cat's owner beats the dog, dog's owner beats the cat, soon are beating each other. Friends of each man gather to cheer the combatants on; soon everyone is fighting in the street. King: "It's not our problem." Soldiers arrive, try to break up the fight, but begin taking sides and soon join the fight. It erupts into a civil war. Houses burned, people killed, palace set on fire and burned to the ground. King: "Perhaps I was wrong. Perhaps that drop of honey WAS our problem."
2) The Four Puppets, A Tale of Burma
Told by Aaron Shepard
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/043.html
Other folktales by Aaron:
http://www.aaronshep.com/stories/folk.html
3) There are 5 stories from Burma in Harold Courlander's classic collection The Tiger's Whisker, and Other Tales from Asia and the Pacific
Debbie S. 10/15/09
Created 2003; last update 10/15/09
by Khin Thant Han. (2000)