National Lifetime Award for Literary Achievement winner Sayagyi Maung Paw Tun passes away at 87

Sayagyi Maung Paw Tun, a recipient of the National Lifetime Award for Literary Achievement, died of old age at the military hospital on the morning of 13 August.
His translated novels Kane and Able, Freedom at Midnight, The Haj, Bloodline, Is Paris Burning and so on are still famous in the literacy field so far.
Saya Maung Paw Tun (aka) Khin Maung Soe was son of artist and wood carver U Maung Pu and Daw Aye and born on 14 May 1935 in Shwemyatwah Village in Manaung Township of Rakhine State.
He completed primary education at monastic school and high school in his native township and continued his learning in Yangon at 15 and received first prize in the stenography contest of Hla Commercial College.
In 1955, he worked as a stenographer at the Myanmar Translation Society (Sarpay Beikman) and passed the high school exam in 1967-68 with one distinction, English.
He won the first prize in batch 1 of the journalism school and completed his BA (History) at Workers’ College in 1973. In 1958, he entered the literacy field with translated Russian article called Seven-Year-Old Girls.
He translated the novels and wrote articles for magazines and journals and worked as an editor, editor-in-chief and consultant editor at Sar-Oak-Law-Ka Sar Saung, Pan Magazine, Cherry Magazine and Economic Magazine.
He jointly wrote, “Sar Oak Huu The” with Maung Su Shin and “Sar Nal Zin Huu The” with Maung Su Shin, Thein Tin (Hanthawady).
In 1978, he retired from the position of supervisor of the Sarpay Beikman book association.
In 1997, he won the national literacy award for translating “Annie” and the second time for translating “Mera Naam Joker” in 2006. The government presented National Lifetime Award for Literary Achievement to him in 2014.
He translated and published about 50 novels including Revolt on the Nile, My Husband and My Lover, Pentagonism: A Substitute for Imperialism, The Big Wave and so on.
He translated the biography of Russian poet Yevtushenko, “An Indian Life”, Hermann Hesse, The Big Wave, and The Haj of Leon Uris and introduced them to Myanmar readers. Sayagyi Maung Paw Tun died at 87 and the funeral will be held on 15 August. — TWA/GNLM