BURMESE LITERATURE

the body of writings in the Burmese language. The stone inscription is the oldest form of Burmese literature; the date of the earliest extant specimen is 1113. During the next 250 years, more than 500 dedicatory inscriptions similar in pattern but more developed in style were engraved on stone. Many of these inscriptions contain eloquent prayers and poems composed by royal ladies. Later inscriptions from the 14th to the 19th century were in a similar vein. Imaginative literature scratched on a palm leaf with a stylus or written on folded paper in steatite pencil originated under the auspices of Buddhist monarchs in Myanmar (Burma) and flourished from the 14th century until after printing became prevalent in the 19th century. The authors were Buddhist monks, monastery-trained courtiers, and a few court poetesses. This literature's most notable features were Buddhist piety and a courtly refinement of language. Historical ballads, panegyric odes, metrical versions of Buddhist stories, and various other types of poetic forms, along with exhortatory letters, constitute this literature. Prose works written in Burmese during this long period are comparatively few. The introduction of printing into southern Myanmar led to a change in the trend of Burmese literature. From 1875 onward, under British rule, the owners of printing presses began to publish popular works such as stage plays, complete with songs and stage directions. The tragic dramas of U Ku were extremely popular and dominated the period between 1875 and 1885. In 1904 the first Burmese novels appeared, marking the beginning of modern Burmese fiction. Both of these forms decayed from their promising origins and became overcharged with sentiment and sensationalism, however, and it was only the founding of Yangon (Rangoon) University in 1920 that gave Burmese literature a fresh impetus. The creation of the independent Union of Myanmar in 1948 also stimulated interest in the national culture, and Burmese began to replace English as both the official language and the language of instruction.