Leading Burmese Academic Dies

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August 02, 2007—Hla Pe, a lifelong literati scholar and former professor of Burmese at the University of London, died at his home in Moulmein, the capital of Mon State, o­n Tuesday, at the age of 93.

Hla Pe was born in 1913 in Kha Ywe village, near Moulmein, and studied Burmese literature at Rangoon University and the University of London’s School of Oriental and African Studies, where he earned his PhD in 1944. He took up a teaching post at SOAS and retired as professor in 1980. 

During his days in London, Hla Pe worked o­n a Burmese-English language dictionary with other leading scholars—J A Stewart, C W Dunn, J S Furnivall, G H Luce, Charles Duroiselle, Anna Allott, John Okell and the Americans R. Halliday and A C Hanna. The project started in 1925 under the aegis of the Burma Research Society, and was continued at Rangoon University and later SOAS.

Five volumes of the dictionary have appeared, but the work remains uncompleted.

In addition to his celebrated academic career, Hla Pe wrote books and articles in English and Burmese.

He is survived by his widow, Than Mya.