A customer looks at Myanmar history books at Bagan bookshop on 37th Street in Yangon. Pic: Hein Latt Aung

BOOKS on Myanmar written in English are attracting an increasing number of local readers but the overwhelming majority of buyers are foreigners, say retailers in Yangon.

They said a new market for the books was emerging among Myanmar academics conducting research on the country’s culture and traditions and those interested in such subjects, tour guides, diplomats and those going overseas to work.

“Not only foreigners are coming here but also Myanmar are going abroad for various purposes, so they’ll have to be able to explain to foreigners about Myanmar fluently and comprehensively,” said U Htay Aung, owner of the Bagan bookshop on 37th Street.

He said sales of the books reach a peak during the tourist high season, an observation echoed by Dr Thant Thaw Kaung, managing director of the Myanmar Book Centre on Baho Road, Ahlone township.

“With more foreign visitors coming here, the sale of books on Myanmar has increased over the past years. Every year their sales increase by 20 percent,” said Dr Thant Thaw Kaung.

He estimated that foreigners account for 90pc of the sales of books about Myanmar in English.

U Maung Maung Lwin, manager of Innwa Bookstore on Sule Pagoda Road in downtown Yangon, said the ratio between foreign and local buyers of books on Myanmar at his shop was 80pc to 20pc.

But he said sales of the books during the past five or six years had risen by 40pc.

Retailers said the high price of the books was one of the reasons why sales to Myanmar readers were low.

They also said nonfiction, including works on topics such as Myanmar history, culture and national races, as well as photography books, far outsold fiction written in English by foreigners or translated into English.

U Maung Maung Lwin said a few Myanmar readers enjoyed Myanmar fiction written or translated into English.

“Some buy the English-language Myanmar novels of (say) Kyawt Maung Maung Nyunt,” he said.

“The number of local readers buying books on Myanmar is still small,” said Dr Thant Thaw Kaung. “I want more Myanmar to read such books.”