The People Elsewhere

Overview

In a five year journey all across Myanmar, Lucas Stewart travels from Yangon in the south to the northern limits of Kachin State in search of the literary luminaries of the country's recent past. He bonds with censored and jailed writers, poets, publishers, and booksellers, recording their stories of heritage and resilience. In his conversations with students at an Aung San Suu Kyi rally or sharing stories with a Kayah farmer in his village house, the long-suppressed literatures and languages of minorities such as the Chin, Kachin, Shan, and others shine through. The People Elsewhere is a vivid tableau of time and place, and an ode to the ethnic richness of Myanmar.

Author Biography

Lucas Stewart is a former literature advisor to the British Council in Myanmar. His writings on Myanmar have appeared in several international publications, and he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Asiatic Society in 2017.