Ma Ma Lay (1917–1982) was twentieth-century Burma’s foremost female author and one of its preeminent voices for change. A journalist and unflagging advocate for the equal participation of women in intellectual and political life, she worked tirelessly and at personal expense to combat injustice, government corruption, and hypocrisy. Her many novels and stories were known for engagingly depicting the lives of everyday Burmese, which played out in her lasting popularity with the reading public. Anna Allott holds the title Senior Research Associate in Burmese at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London. She has published widely on Burmese literature and grammar.