Beloved public figure—poet-cum-writer Akyi Taw passes away

“Somebody told me, ‘You write and tell joyfulness and senses of humour only. Sometimes, please write and tell valuable ones.’ Despite surprising, I gazed at them with a smile. Nothing is more valuable than happiness in the world,” said humour novelist Akyi Taw (aka) Saw Kyi Phyu, 51, who created artistic works in literature for a large number of Myanmar readers. He passed away on the evening of 9 November.
His demise was sorrowful for Myanmar literary arena. Akyi Taw was a Myanmar writer emphasizing the humour genre. His original name is Saw Kyi Phyu. He was born to U Tun Naing and Daw Yu Nwe. He was the second eldest among seven siblings. He was older than academy Di Ra Mo and artist Ko Hsan.
He joined the Myanmar literary arena in 1988 with the pen name Ko Ko Gyi and started the creation of novels with the pen name Akyi Taw in 2003, occupying the applause of a lot of readers.
The writer suffered from stomach respiratory cancer. In the last week of September 2022, he received medical treatment for his disease in Bangkok of Thailand but his heart beat and breathing suddenly stopped at night when he arrived back in Myanmar. So, he was sent to Pinlon Hospital for further treatment and he passed away at 8:23 pm on 9 November, according to his close friends.
He wrote 83 humour novels. Among them, the novels with the titles of Zawka-Kanaythi, Bilue, Shwe Moe Thei, Kyauk-Thin-Pone-Dwe-Moe-Htar-Te-Ein, Kyuntawt-Chitthu-Pyawthaw Thu-Chitthu-Akyaung, Nat-Nay-Kaing, Chit-Loh-Satar-Nar-Tei, Kawayphyoye-Nidan and so on are famous. Many of his novels were converted into films earning a large sum of income and winning the hearts of audiences. Recently, “the Poem-Music Album” which is his combined artistic works of poems and music was published.
As the news of the death of Akyi Taw spread on the evening of 24 October, his family and literary society informed the audiences and readers about the wrong information on social networks.
In addition to the creation of poems and humour novels, Novelist Akyi Taw talked about his life, characters in his life, his reviews and experiences at the literary talks across the nation together with prominent literati Ledwintha Saw Chit, Chit Oo Nyo, Maung Tha Cho, Juu and Cartoonist Aw Pi Kyeh. —TWA/GNLM