The Caged Ones by Ludu U Hla
A Burmese Political Prisoner in the 1950s
Imprisoned for political reasons in the 1950s, Ludu U Hla - perhaps Burma's most prolific modern author - penned these sensitive portraits of his fellows behind bars. His sympathetic probe of 'criminals' old and new, willing and unwilling, exposes many of the social pressures and failings that turn the weak, the young and unfortunate against society, and harden them in a career of crime. One understands why the author was imprisoned; the underlying social conditions described so masterfully in this book are in good part a result of social and economic policies, or lack thereof, on the part of his jailors.
This collection of stories won Ludu U Hla the UNESCO prize for literature in 1958. This is the English translation.
144 pages with B&W Illustrations