The Lady and the Generals: Aung San Suu Kyi and Burma's Struggle for Freedom

Author(s): Peter Popham

Asian

She was a heroine of our time, a winner of the Nobel Peace Prize, a symbol of supreme courage in the face of tyranny. Then, in 2010, Burma's generals opened the door a chink: Aung San Suu Kyi was released from house arrest, and her country began to change. Suu Kyi's acclaimed biographer, Peter Popham, describes what happened next. Travelling across the country, meeting aristocrats, monks and politicians, freedom fighters, punks and rebels, he shows how hope has slowly returned to the lives of ordinary Burmese. He also examines the fate of the hill tribes, and how the world's politicians and businessmen are striving for influence. But with greater openness, long-suppressed prejudices have burst into the open: intolerant Buddhist preachers have whipped up the latent hostility of the Burmese against people of other races and beliefs, especially the Muslim Rohingya. When Aung San Suu Kyi was elected to parliament, she began to negotiate with the military. Yet she has declined to take a firm stand on minority rights - to the dismay of many in the West. The Lady and the Generals offers a trenchant and compelling portrait of this fascinating country and asks where Burma and Suu Kyi herself - with her bravery, her brilliance and her limitations - are heading next. Praise for The Lady and the Peacock: "What a gift to our world and what a splendid telling of [Aung San Suu Kyi's life]. We are deeply indebted to Peter Popham for such a superb account". (Archbishop Desmond Tutu). "Sensitive and moving". (Sunday Times). "Beautifully written and compelling in every aspect". (Joanna Lumley). "Warm and objective...will not be bettered for a long time". (Independent on Sunday).


Product Information

The only book you will need to read if you want to understand Aung San Suu Kyi and contemporary Burma

Peter Popham has toured Burma as an undercover journalist many times since his first visit to the country in 1991. A foreign correspondent and commentator with the Independent newspaper, he covered South Asia (including Burma) for a period in the late 90s. Popham interviewed Suu Kyi when she was released from house arrest in 2002, and met her again in 2011 and 2015. He lives in London.

General Fields

  • : 9781846043727
  • : Ebury Publishing
  • : Rider Co
  • : 0.653
  • : February 2016
  • : 234mm X 153mm
  • : United Kingdom
  • : March 2016
  • : books

Special Fields

  • : Peter Popham
  • : Paperback
  • : 316
  • : en
  • : 959.105092
  • : 462