S.E.A. Write Award (Southeast Asian Writers Award)
1 appearances
-
Edition 40 (2018) Winner
Ma Thida
マ・ティダ
Ma Thida
Pen Names:
Suragamika（Pseudonym meaning 'brave traveler'）
Profile
- Gender
- Female
- Born
- 1966-09-02 （Myanmar）
- Nationality
- Myanmar, Burmese
- Languages
- Burmese
- Religion
- Buddhism
- Residence History
- Myanmar → United States
Career
- Occupations
- Surgeon, Writer, Human rights activist
- Active Years
- 1980-2025
- Affiliations
- Muslim Free Hospital, PEN Myanmar, PEN International
- Memberships
- PEN International Board, Chair of PEN International Writers in Prison Committee
Education
| Institution | Faculty | Department | Degree | Period | Country |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Unknown | — | Medicine | Surgery degree | 1980年代初頭 | Myanmar |
Unknown
Medicine
Degree:
Surgery degree
Period:
1980年代初頭
Country:
Myanmar
Studied medicine in early 1980s, earned surgery degree
Awards
| Year | Award | Work | Category | Organization | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1996 | Reebok Human Rights Award | — | — | Reebok | 受賞 |
| 1996 | PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award | — | — | PEN America | 受賞 |
| 2016 | Disturbing the Peace Award | — | — | Vaclav Havel Library Foundation | 受賞 |
Reebok Human Rights Award
1996
Organization:
Reebok
Result:
受賞
PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award
1996
Organization:
PEN America
Result:
受賞
Disturbing the Peace Award
2016
Organization:
Vaclav Havel Library Foundation
Result:
受賞
Awards & Nominations
Works
Major Works
The Sunflower
1999 EssayArgues that Burmese people have high expectations of democracy icon Suu Kyi
DemocracyPolitics
Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard
2012 MemoirMemoir about early life in Sanchaung, imprisonment in Insein, and time in the US
ImprisonmentHuman RightsEducation
Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps through Insein
2016 Prison MemoirEnglish translation of her prison memoir
Prison LifeHuman Rights Activism
Bibliography
- The Sunflower
- In the Shade of an Indian Almond Tree
- Sweet and spicy honey mud
- Insight of colorful lights and beyond esthetic border
- One, Zero and Ten for Teens
- Message to Teen
- Translation of Japanese Women's Poems
- The Roadmap
- Sanchaung, Insein, Harvard
- A Letter for Daw Aung San Suu Kyi
- The Imperishable Dictum
- Brown to Crimson
- What Is Independent Citizen's Spirit?
- Youths Who Dare To Live and Compete
- Nothing to Lose But Your Life
- From Selfishness to Leaving From Fear
- Prisoner of Conscience: My Steps through Insein
- Writing of Ma Thida
- A-Maze: Myanmar’s Struggle for Democracy, 2011-2023
Translations by Author
- Translation of Japanese Women's Poems
Style & Themes
- Literary Style
- Intellectual works dealing with political situation
- Recurring Motifs
- Human RightsDemocracyPrison Experience
Health
-
Tuberculosis1993-1999Contracted in prison without adequate medical care
Legacy
Known as a Burmese human rights activist, writer, and surgeon; internationally recognized for works based on prison experiences
Quotes
-
I wanted to become a writer because I want to share what I observe around me, like poverty.
Source: Interview (2013) -
Were it not for vipassana (Buddhist meditation), I would not have overcome the untold hardships I faced in prison.
Source: Interview (2013)
Trivia
- Sentenced to 20 years in prison in 1993, released in 1999
- Pseudonym 'Suragamika' means 'brave traveler'
- Left Myanmar after 2021 military coup