I finish San Lin Tun’s latest book, Yangon Days, just before landing in Yangon—my first visit after six long years. Tun has published poetry, short stories, essays and novels, both in English and in his native Burmese. He also works as a literary translator and guide, editor, teacher, lyricist and musician. A jack of all trades type of artist, I think. All this, on top of his academic qualifications in metallurgy and Buddhist dharma.

We meet on a drenched day in a downtown Yangon teahouse. Like his students, I call him “sayar” (‘male teacher’ in Burmese) or “Sayar Tun”. In his writing, Tun is rigorously detailed, humorous and incredibly flexible between the poetic and the eloquent. In person, he’s easygoing, humble and just as funny. Over papaya juice and milk tea, we talk about writing Myanmar as a Burmese writer working in English.

• Tags: Issue 37, Myanmar, Peixuan Xie, San Lin Tun