Author(s): Chris Mabey

Biography / Memoir

As a British teenager, I meet a beautiful Burmese girl on the school bus. Her family self-exiled in 1964, soon after the military coup, to start a new life in England. My fascination is fired for this far-off land.How did Burma, with such a regal past, swathed in natural beauty and populated by a people of unmistakable poise and serenity slide into repression and obscurity? How can the up-beat memories of April's parents be reconciled with Myanmar's current malaise?Over 16 years I recorded the oral history, anecdotes and reminiscences of her family who were eye witnesses to momentous events in mid-century Burma. These together with more recent conversations - with Aung San Suu Kyi and a range of Burmese millennials - provide a unique portrait of Myanmar stretching back to April's great, great grandfather in 1852.For all the woes of this country, whispers of hope can be heard.