Book Plaza to Open in Rangoon’s Lanmadaw Township

By Kyaw Hsu Mon 26 January 2017

RANGOON — One of the first book plazas in Burma, run by a young publisher and an author, will open in Rangoon’s China Town at the end of February.

U San Mon Aung, owner of WE publishing house, as well as author Myay Hmone Lwin, have been preparing to open the enterprise in Than Zay, Lanmadaw Township.

I will invite publishing houses and book shop owners to invest in this book plaza on February 3. They can offer a price to rent space, and I will adjust the renting price,” he said.

The Yangon Book Plaza will occupy a 100- by 200-foot space on the fifth floor of Than Zay market, with an initial investment of around US$100,000.

I can only provide 30 book shop places, so publishers who want to open there can offer prices,” he said.

There will be three types of spaces available, differentiated by rental costs. The plaza will also have a playground, coffee shop and indoor recreation area, although the design is not yet finalized.

The Ministry of Information recently established Botahtaung Township’s Thein Phyu Street as the “Yangon Book Street,” with new and second-hand bookshops ready to market to readers from early January.

Let’s see later which area is better for book lovers. Anyway, the arrival of more bookshop areas is a better sign for the market,” said a Yangon resident and self-described book lover U Aung Myint.

U San Mon Aung started the WE publishing house in Burma in 2003—producing translations of internationally renowned works, as well as previously banned works of dissident Burmese literature—and has written under the pen name Myay Hmon Lwin.