Famous Burmese poet Saya U Tin Moe dies Tue 23 Jan 2007,Banyol Kin Burma’s famous poet Saya Tin Moe died at 8 a.m. (TST) when he went to a coffee shop with a friend in Los Angeles , USA where he was living with his youngest daughter.
“He fell down and a clinic car took him to hospital. He was not alive,” said another of his daughters, Moe Moe Aye who lives in Rangoon (Yangon), Burma. Saya Tin Moe has four daughters. Two of them live in Burma and two others are living abroad.
U Tin Moe was a well-known writer whose literary work achieved great recognition and appreciation before the advent of the military dictatorship in Burma.
U Tin Moe has written numerous school books. Unlike his poetry, these books have not been banned. Because he believes that rhyme is an excellent learning tool. These text books are amply seasoned with small poems.
The generals who rule Burma now also learnt to read with his school books, as they learned to understand what Tin Moe’s poems are about. They decided that he was a threat and imprisoned him in the infamous Insein prison in 1991. On a prison wall can be found one of his old poems. He was locked behind bars without a pen for four years because of the words he penned.
For fear of losing his pen forever, at the age of 71 U Tin Moe decided to go to the West. “But he loved coming to Burma and also loved to see his colleagues in Burma ,” Moe Moe Aye said.
He was given the Prince Claus Award of 25,000 Euros on December 13, 2004. The Consul General of The Netherlands, Ms Cora Minderhoud will present the Award at the Open Society Institute in New York , United States. His texts are a constant source of inspiration for his people. Tin Moe's poems are circulated in pro-democratic circles in Burma and are regularly published in the foreign media. This award was granted in the context of both the Fund's new focus on 'the positive results of asylum and migration' and its emphasis on the'zones of silence'. The Fund prioritizes activities that provide support and scouting in these areas.
The Prince Claus Fund is a platform for intercultural exchange. It works jointly with individuals and organisations that are mainly located in Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean , on the realisation of activities and publications reflecting a contemporary approach to the themes of culture and development. The Prince Claus Awards, which have been presented annually since 1997, form a part of this policy. U Tin Moe is a highly esteemed poet and literary activist. He was born in Myinggyan District, Mandalay Division in Burma in 1933. His first book, named The
Lantern’, published in 1965, won the National Literary Prize for Poetry.
He founded a library in his village, taught Burmese language and literature, was poetry editor for the Ludu Daily Newspaper and was involved in producing textbooks and children’s books. He joined the pro-democracy movement in 1988 and continued to write despite great risk, becoming a voice for the people.
