The Female Voice of Myanmar seeks to offer a female perspective on the history and political evolution of Myanmar. It delves into the lives and works of four of Myanmar's remarkable women who set aside their lives to answer the call of their country: Khin Myo Chit, who spoke about latent sexual politics in pre-Independent Burma; Ludu Daw Amar, who as the editor of the leftist Ludu Daily, was deemed anti-establishment and was witness to the socialist government's abortive efforts at ethnic reconciliation; Ma Thida, whose writing bears testimony to the impact the authoritative military rule had on the individual psyche; and Aung San Suu Kyi, who has re-articulated Burmese nationalism. This book breaks new ground in exploring their writing, both published and hitherto unexamined, some in English and much in Burmese, while the intimate biographical sketches offer a glimpse into the Burmese home and the shifting feminine image.

‘This groundbreaking interpretative work is a serious and well-documented account of postcolonial Burma from an unusual and most original standpoint. One of the author's special achievements is to have searched out and used Burmese material that is not available in English.'

Anna Allott - School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London

‘The author's analysis of the writings, politics and Buddhist beliefs of four key Burmese women presents a novel perspective on Burma's past and its modern intellectual and political history. It comes at an opportune moment as the government at last begins to embrace positive change.'

Patricia Herbert - Former Curator of Southeast Asia Collections, The British Library

‘The book represents an important piece of scholarship that definitely fills a need in English-language publishing on Myanmar. The prose is excellent with a very compelling narrative touch. This book is coming at a good time of interest in Myanmar and will hopefully be welcomed for being a rare example of including attention to women.'

Matthew J. Walton - University of Oxford

'Sengupta's blend of literary, biographical, and political analysis is often fascinating, and the research that supports her analysis is thorough … this book is a significant scholarly achievement that will be of interest to scholars of Myanmar and of gender in twentieth century Southeast Asia.'

Ashley Wright Source: Southeast Asian Studies

'This book is a welcome contribution to Myanmar scholarship in many disciplines, but more importantly it is an enticement for any researcher interested in Myanmar to do more work on the status of women, the politics of sexuality, and the power dynamics between men and women. Myanmar’s modern history comes alive through the carefully crafted personal narratives of the four extraordinary women.'

Maureen Aung-Thwin Source: Pacific Affairs