Thaw Kaung

Thaw Kaung was conferred an Honorary Doctor of Letters by the University of Western Sydney in 1999. In 2005, he won the Fukuoka Asian Culture Prize in the Academic Prize category for his professional contributions. In 2008, he was awarded the Pakokku U Ohn Pe lifetime achievement award for his contributions to Burmese literature. In 2010, he was awarded the Myanmar National Literature Award Lifetime Achievement in Literature by the Burmese government.

Thaw Kaung married Khin Than in 1964. They have 3 sons: Min Thaw Kaung, Thant Thaw Kaung, and Myat Thaw Kaung. He resides in Bahan Township, Yangon.

He was appointed as Deputy University Librarian in 1959 and promoted as the Chief Librarian of the Universities Central Library in 1969. In 1971, he established the Department of Library Studies at the University, and was a central figure in the establishment of the Myanmar Library Association and the National Commission for the Preservation of Traditional Manuscripts. Between 1971 and 1976, he served as Secretary of the Myanmar Language Commission and the first chairman of the committee which compiled the Burmese-English Dictionary. Thaw Kaung was elected an Honorary Fellow of the Library Association UK in 1984, becoming the first Southeast Asian librarian to the awarded this prestigious honour. In 1999, he was awarded the Harold White Fellowship at the National Library of Australia.

(1) B.A. (Honours) First class in English Language and Literature (University of Rangoon, 1959). Winner of U Po Hnit Gold Medal. (2) Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship (University College London, University of London). Specialization in Oriental Bibliography. (1962) (3) Honorary Fellow of the Library Association (U.K.) (Since 1984). Hon.F.L.A. awarded for achievements in librarianship, including the establishment of the first Library Studies Dept. at the University of Yangon (Rangoon). (4) Associate of the Australian Library and Information Association. (1976) (5) Certificate from Western Australian Institute of Technology, (now Curtin University), Perth, for Training in Library Studies, specializing in methods of teaching library studies. (1976) (6) Doctor of Letters (University of Western Sydney) Honoris Causa (1999) (7) Awarded by Fukuoka Asian Culture Prizes as Academic Prize Laureate in 2005. (8) Awarded “Sithu Award” by Myanmar Government

Thaw Kaung attended Methodist English High School (now Basic Education High School No. 1 Dagon) from 1952 to 1954, passing the Matriculation examinations in the First Division with distinctions in English and Geography. He majored in English and Literature at Rangoon University, graduating with First Class Honours in 1959. He won the U Po Hnit Gold Medal, which was awarded by Rangoon University to the highest-standing student in the B.A. examination for Honours English. He was selected in 1960 as a Burma State Scholar to obtain a Postgraduate Diploma in Librarianship, specializing in Oriental Bibliography, from the University of London's University College London in 1962.

Thaw Kaung was born on 17 December 1937 in Rangoon, as the eldest child of second generation Sino-Burmese parents, Sithu U Kaung [my] (surnamed Saw or Suu), and Daw Thein (surnamed Teoh or Teo). His parents were of Hokkien descent, with ancestors from Quanzhou, Fujian. Thaw Kaung's father was a Director of Education from 1951 to 1957. In 1947, Thaw Kaung followed his father to England to oversee the Burmese scholars studying there. In 1950, he returned to Rangoon, but could not attend school because he suffered from poliarthriticsmyelitis.