I have just a few words to say about the first novella, as it felt tiny and mediocre in comparison to the novella in tandem. It was a cute story about young love. ပါပီယွန် never denies or confirms his stories to be either fiction or non-fiction but my money on this particular story is that it's a creation of his imagination because it's lacking the heart and weight of his usual tales.
The second novella is another story all together. ကိုသံချောင်း or Mustache is such a dynamic character to read. His personality has a lasting effect on me as a reader. Through all the bad hands he's been dealt with in life, he never let such experience change who he is in his essence. He is honest, kind, hardworking and passionate. These qualities of his were the driving force of the story and the actions he took in the situations that he was put in, emphasizes his nature and his belief in the the potential of our country, Myanmar and serves as a role-model for us all.
Recently published book, ‘Tumbled tresses, old scent of a dream and 20 years with Ko Than Chaung’, featured two novellas. It is intriguing to have these two novellas as one book. To me, they seem to be contradicting to one another, like two sides of a coin, provoking different emotion in each story.
'Tumbled tresses' was a reminiscently moving story of one's first love. '20 years' told Papi’s years of encounter with one prominent friend in his adult years. Through thick and thin, they were together and helped each others in any possible way. The adversities of these two were told poignantly. Being an avid reader himself, the writer knows how to pocket the reader’s interest.
This is my first book of Papillon. (I just realised I should read first two books of his to have the full grasp of this one. But, this book works as a stand-alone book as well). This book is a combination of two stories: one being the young love story and the other being his memory snippets of a person he greatly admired. Although his writing is not elegant, it is minimalistic, quick and enjoyable.