Maurice Collis
Encyclopedia
Maurice Stewart Collis was an administrator in Burma (Myanmar) when it was part of the British Empire
, and afterwards a writer on Southeast Asia
, China
and other historical subjects.
in 1903 and then in 1907 to the University of Oxford
, where he studied history. He entered the Indian Civil Service in 1911 and was posted to Burma in 1912. He had postings at Sagaing
and elsewhere. In 1917, the British army raised a Burmese brigade with which Collis went to Palestine, but he saw no action. In 1919, he went on leave and travelled in Europe. In the 1920s he was district commissioner in Arakan
. In 1929-1930, a period when relations between Burmese, Indians and British became particularly difficult, he was district magistrate in Rangoon. This period is narrated in his memoir Trials in Burma
. He gives special attention to the political trial of J. M. Sen Gupta, mayor
of Calcutta, for sedition
in impromptu speeches made during a brief visit to Rangoon in 1930; also to two criminal trials which became politically charged because they brought to light underlying attitudes of British merchants and army officers to Burmese people. Collis's judgments were (according to his own analysis) too independent to be pleasing to the then British Government of Burma, arousing the particular disapproval of his superior, Booth Gravely, Commissioner of the Pegu Division
. After giving judgment in the last of these trials Collis was hastily moved to the post of Excise Commissioner. After returning to England in 1934, he wrote many books, including Siamese White and Foreign Mud, as well as art and literary criticism. At the age of 65 he turned his hand to painting.
His younger brothers were the writer John Stewart Collis
and Robert Collis, a famous doctor and author.
British Empire
The British Empire comprised the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom. It originated with the overseas colonies and trading posts established by England in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. At its height, it was the...
, and afterwards a writer on Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
, China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
and other historical subjects.
Life
He was born in Dublin, the son of an Irish solicitor, and went to Rugby SchoolRugby School
Rugby School is a co-educational day and boarding school located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire, England. It is one of the oldest independent schools in Britain.-History:...
in 1903 and then in 1907 to the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
, where he studied history. He entered the Indian Civil Service in 1911 and was posted to Burma in 1912. He had postings at Sagaing
Sagaing
Sagaing is the capital of Sagaing Region in Myanmar. Located on the Ayeyarwady River, 20 km to the southwest of Mandalay on the opposite bank of the river, Sagaing with numerous Buddhist monasteries is an important religious and monastic center. The pagodas and monasteries crowd the numerous...
and elsewhere. In 1917, the British army raised a Burmese brigade with which Collis went to Palestine, but he saw no action. In 1919, he went on leave and travelled in Europe. In the 1920s he was district commissioner in Arakan
Rakhine State
Rakhine State is a Burmese state. Situated on the western coast, it is bordered by Chin State in the north, Magway Region, Bago Region and Ayeyarwady Region in the east, the Bay of Bengal to the west, and the Chittagong Division of Bangladesh to the northwest. It is located approximately between...
. In 1929-1930, a period when relations between Burmese, Indians and British became particularly difficult, he was district magistrate in Rangoon. This period is narrated in his memoir Trials in Burma
Trials in Burma
Trials in Burma is a memoir by Maurice Collis, an English author of Irish origin who served in Burma in the Indian Civil Service under the British Empire written in 1937 describing events in 1929-30....
. He gives special attention to the political trial of J. M. Sen Gupta, mayor
Kolkata Municipal Corporation
Kolkata Municipal Corporation is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Kolkata. The organization is known, in short, as KMC . This civic administrative body administers an area of 185 sq. km. Its motto, Purosree Bibardhan, is inscribed on its emblem in Bengali...
of Calcutta, for sedition
Sedition
In law, sedition is overt conduct, such as speech and organization, that is deemed by the legal authority to tend toward insurrection against the established order. Sedition often includes subversion of a constitution and incitement of discontent to lawful authority. Sedition may include any...
in impromptu speeches made during a brief visit to Rangoon in 1930; also to two criminal trials which became politically charged because they brought to light underlying attitudes of British merchants and army officers to Burmese people. Collis's judgments were (according to his own analysis) too independent to be pleasing to the then British Government of Burma, arousing the particular disapproval of his superior, Booth Gravely, Commissioner of the Pegu Division
Bago Division
Bago Region is an administrative region of Burma, located in the southern central part of the country. It is bordered by Magway Region and Mandalay Region to the north; Kayin State, Mon State and the Gulf of Martaban to the east; Yangon Region to the south and Ayeyarwady Region and Rakhine State...
. After giving judgment in the last of these trials Collis was hastily moved to the post of Excise Commissioner. After returning to England in 1934, he wrote many books, including Siamese White and Foreign Mud, as well as art and literary criticism. At the age of 65 he turned his hand to painting.
His younger brothers were the writer John Stewart Collis
John Stewart Collis
-Life:The son of an Irish solicitor, John Stewart Collis was educated at Rugby and Oxford. A writer of biographies and other works, his first book on George Bernard Shaw, was published in 1925, followed by biographies of Havelock Ellis, Strindberg, Tolstoy, the Carlyles and Christopher Columbus...
and Robert Collis, a famous doctor and author.
Autobiographies
- The Journey Outward ends 1917 - 18
- Into Hidden Burma 1919 -34
- The Journey Up (Reminiscences 1934-1968)
- Trials in BurmaTrials in BurmaTrials in Burma is a memoir by Maurice Collis, an English author of Irish origin who served in Burma in the Indian Civil Service under the British Empire written in 1937 describing events in 1929-30....
1930 -31
Biographies
- Siamese White
- CortésHernán CortésHernán Cortés de Monroy y Pizarro, 1st Marquis of the Valley of Oaxaca was a Spanish Conquistador who led an expedition that caused the fall of the Aztec Empire and brought large portions of mainland Mexico under the rule of the King of Castile in the early 16th century...
and MontezumaMoctezuma IIMoctezuma , also known by a number of variant spellings including Montezuma, Moteuczoma, Motecuhzoma and referred to in full by early Nahuatl texts as Motecuhzoma Xocoyotzin, was the ninth tlatoani or ruler of Tenochtitlan, reigning from 1502 to 1520...
(about the Spanish conquest of MexicoSpanish conquest of MexicoThe Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire was one of the most important campaigns in the Spanish colonization of the Americas. The invasion began in February 1519 and was acclaimed victorious on August 13, 1521, by a coalition army of Spanish conquistadors and Tlaxcalan warriors led by Hernán Cortés...
) - Raffles (Faber, London, 1966; about Stamford RafflesStamford RafflesSir Thomas Stamford Bingley Raffles, FRS was a British statesman, best known for his founding of the city of Singapore . He is often described as the "Father of Singapore"...
) - Marco Polo
- The Grand Peregrination - Being the Life and Adventures of Fernão Mendes Pinto
- Nancy Astor - An Informal Biography
- Somerville and Ross - A Biography (Faber, London, 1968; about Edith SomervilleEdith Anna SomervilleEdith Anna Œnone Somerville was an Irish novelist who habitually signed herself as "E. Œ. Somerville". She wrote in collaboration with her cousin "Martin Ross" under the pseudonym "Somerville and Ross"...
and Violet Martin = "Martin Ross"Violet Florence MartinViolet Florence Martin was an Irish author who co-wrote a series of novels with cousin Edith Somerville under the pen name of Martin Ross in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.- Early life :...
) - Stanley Spencer - A Biography
- Wayfoong - The Hongkong and Shanghai Banking Corporation
Histories
- The Great Within
- The Land of the Great Image - Being Experiences of Friar Manrique in Arakan (Faber & Faber, London, 1943 1st edition )(New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 1943. First American Edition) Translate in portuguese in 1944 (Na terra da Grande Imagem. Livraria Civilização. Porto).
- Foreign Mud - Being an Account of the Opium Imbroglio at Canton in the 1830s and the Anglo-Chinese War That Followed, 1946
- The First Holy One
- British Merchant Adventurers
- The Hurling Time
- Last and First in Burma
Fiction
- She Was a Queen
- The Mystery of Dead Lovers (with drawings by Cawthra Mulock)
- Quest for Sita
- Sanda Mala
- The Dark Door
Drama
- The Motherly and Auspicious - Being the Life of the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi in the Form of a Drama, with an Introduction and Notes
- White of Mergen
Other
- Lords of the Sunset - A Tour in the Shan States. Collis toured the Shan StateShan StateShan State is a state of Burma . Shan State borders China to the north, Laos to the east, and Thailand to the south, and five administrative divisions of Burma in the west. Largest of the 14 administrative divisions by land area, Shan State covers 155,800 km², almost a quarter of the total...
in Northern Burma in the winter of 1937, meeting the various local rulers, attending a funeral, and following a murder trial. - Alva Paintings and Drawings
- Lord of the Three Worlds