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One of Burma's foremost poets writes daring, experimental poems that combine light-hearted word play with deadly serious subjects.
About the author
ko ko thett's poetic life was discreetly launched when he took it upon himself to edit a samizdat poetry collection at the Yangon Institute of Technology in Myanmar in 1994. After departing the country in 1997, thett began writing in English and has published in literary journals worldwide, from the Griffith Review to Granta. He won an English PEN translation award for the seminal anthology
Bones will Crow: 15 Contemporary Burmese Poets (ARC, UK), which he co-edited with James Byrne. His debut collection of poems in English,
The Burden of Being Burmese (Zephyr, 2015), is listed on World Literature Today's Nota Benes. His work has been widely anthologized and translated into several languages including Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Brazilian Portuguese and Finnish. He is an Honorary Fellow in Writing at the University of Iowa, poetry editor for Mekong Review and country editor for Myanmar at Poetry International [the Netherlands]. After a whirlwind tour of Asia, Europe and North America for two decades, thett happily resettled in Sagaing in his native Myanmar in 2017, where he published poetry books in Burmese. As of 2021 he is most likely to be spotted in the Golden Triangle of Norwich, UK. thett continues to write in both Burmese and English.
Summary
One of Burma’s foremost poets writes daring, experimental poems that combine light-hearted word play with deadly serious subjects.
Foreword
Advance galleys to Publishers Weekly, Library Journal, New York Times, Los Angeles Times, New Yorker, NPR;Co-op available;E-blasts to Zephyr’s list of 250 reviewers and literary journals, and to broader customer list of 1,500+ names;Review and feature article campaign to 30 publications, including poetry, Asian, mainstream;Featured title at AWP, Boston Book Fair, Brooklyn Book Festival, ALTA;Outreach to Burmese programs at UC Berkeley, Northern Illinois University, University of Hawaii, Cornell University, as well as creative writing, Asian Studies departments;Online virtual readings;Social media campaign on FaceBook, Twitter, Instagram;Potential text for Asian Literature and Creative Writing courses;Possible Edelweiss promotions;Submit to all eligible literary awards.
