As an avid reader growing up in an isolated country, Wai Phyo Maung knows all too well about the frustrations of being unable to find the books he wanted to read.

“I love reading, but growing up in Myanmar, you didn’t have access to a lot of books,” he said.

Instead of works he wanted to read about politics, culture or religion, Wai Phyo Maung said that many of the books and magazines he was exposed to when he was young were “crap” magazine articles about aliens and UFO invasions, or books of clichéd love stories.

Before economic and political reforms began in 2011, Myanmar was ruled by a military junta that enforced heavy restrictions on many aspects of people’s daily lives. That included books they wanted to read, in particular those considered religiously sensitive, or political writings, for example those of Aung San Suu Kyi.

• Tags: Issue 16, Myanmar, Oliver Slow, Wai Phyo Maung