From: Maung Yit
EMail: bookwormz_99@yahoo.com
Book Review & Essay: Minn Luu
Author: Minn Luu
Title: The Portrait of a Drinker ( Yar Mar Kar Lu Lin)
1999 Sept, 230 Ks.
It is about a book worth of reading and has the taste of laughter and giggle meant for the people who used to drink. The title itself has the touch of soft satire to the people who drinks or drank or drunk or have been drinking, namely "The portrait of a Drinker"(YarMarKarLuLin).
Minn Luu who has been well known for his different style in presenting the story with laughter and humor even in a sorrowful ending novel still did not lost his touch in sketching out the lighter side (with the darker side included, ofcoz) of the story of dinking civilization and its related stories.
It is about the teenagers, who tried their best in start drinking. It is about the college students, who have got the taste of love and hate from the first encounter to the outside world but facing the odd by holding hand in hand with the faith and madness together with the friends, drinking. It is about the common folklore of drinking class with mixed feeling and desire, which are fulfilled, or not but just an excuse to end up with friends relating their stories while drinking. It is a never-ending story of the drinker and its friends and family but Minn Luu was at his best in making it an art light heartedly and humorously to take it or leave it as a lesson or a joke up to the level (not drinking level, I hope) of a reader.
Minn Luu, whom we have grown up with his stories in love when we were young at heart, had since given us a gift of life, to laugh out or smile at anything that come with tragedy or sorrow. He had written many stories which had touch the heart of many young people by remembering his some of his titles such as "Pan Kyaung (School of Flowers)", "Thu do Pyaw Kya Lay Pyi "They, happy, at last", and mostly "Khun nint sin ALwan (Longing for the distance stars)".
Making of this novel into a movie, "Longing for the distance stars" had earned many audience and also Academy awards to the director Maung Wunna (his bro) and the actor Thu Maung (his bro also) and the movie itself (his family's). We could still remember the dialogue of the daughter who was between the conflict of her hardheaded journalist father and think-practical-in life mother ended up in divorce when she was just born. "If it is so that daddy is right and mommy is also right in their whole life without doubt, then I who became to be your daughter of both of you must said to be in the wrong....".
But the saddest thing was that when his famous father, Thar Du passed away he was not home and also at the Academy ceremony, he was not present. Because he had done his best in making a laughter and satire works to the country people against the will of ruler with gun and power in the early 90's. He tried this best in giving his countryman a courageous & brave gift to laugh out and smile at anything that the government had done wrong to his own people. His anonymous letter to the people "Bar Twe Phit Kon kya Byi Lei?" (What had happened to all of us!) criticized the undoing deeds of the ruler that nobody dared to do so and had touched the heart of the people and also to the government ofcoz. Because he made the laughing stock to the ruler, he was sentenced to prison to amend his jokes. But he lives forever in the heart of the people.
Now this is a latest work of Minn Luu, Yarmarkar Lu Lin and we would welcome him his return to the society for the reason that he still could smile out even from the tragedy and sorrow deep down from his heart.
With Respect Maung Yit