Maurice Collis facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Maurice Stewart Collis
Magistrate of Rangoon
In office 1929–1930
Personal details
Born	10 January 1889 Dublin, Ireland
Died	12 January 1973(1973-01-12) (aged 84)
Nationality	British
Relatives	John Stewart Collis (brother) Robert Collis (brother)
Alma mater	University of Oxford
Occupation	Administrator

Maurice Stewart Collis (born January 10, 1889 – died January 12, 1973) was a British administrator and a talented writer. He spent many years working in Burma (now called Myanmar) when it was part of the British Empire. After returning to England, he became a well-known author. He wrote books about history, travel, and different cultures. His writings often focused on Southeast Asia and China.

Maurice Collis: A Life of Adventure and Writing

Early Life and Career in Burma

Maurice Collis was born in Dublin, Ireland. His father was a solicitor, which is a type of lawyer. Maurice went to Rugby School in 1903. Later, in 1907, he studied history at the University of Oxford.

In 1911, he joined the Indian Civil Service. This was a group of people who helped run the British Empire in places like India and Burma. He was sent to Burma in 1912. He worked in different towns there, including Sagaing and Kyaukpyu.

During World War I, in 1917, Maurice Collis joined a Burmese army group. He went to Palestine with them. However, he did not take part in any battles. In 1919, he took a break from work and traveled around Europe.

A Judge's Challenges

In the late 1920s, Maurice Collis became a district commissioner in Arakan. From 1929 to 1930, he worked as a district magistrate in Rangoon (now Yangon). This was a challenging time. Relations between Burmese, Indian, and British people were difficult.

Maurice Collis wrote about this period in his book, Trials in Burma. He described how he had to make fair decisions. Sometimes, his judgments were not popular with the British government in Burma. He believed his decisions were independent. This sometimes caused problems with his superiors. After one important trial, he was quickly moved to a different job. He became the Excise Commissioner.

Life as a Writer

In 1934, Maurice Collis returned to England. He then began a new career as a writer. He wrote many books about various topics. These included history, biographies, and even fiction. He also wrote about art and literature.

Some of his famous books include Siamese White and Foreign Mud. He was a very productive author. When he was 65 years old, he also started painting.

Family Connections

Maurice Collis had two younger brothers. They were John Stewart Collis and Robert Collis. Both of them were also well-known. John was a writer, just like Maurice. Robert was a famous doctor and author. John and Robert were twins.

His Books

Maurice Collis wrote many different kinds of books.

• Autobiographies: These books told stories from his own life.
  • Trials in Burma (1938)
  • The Journey Outward (1952)
  • Into Hidden Burma (1953)
  • The Journey Up: Reminiscences 1934-1968 (1970)

• Biographies: These books told the life stories of other famous people.
  • Siamese White (1936) about Samuel White
  • Marco Polo (1950)
  • Cortés and Montezuma (1954) about the Spanish conquest of Mexico
  • Nancy Astor: An Informal Biography (1960)
  • Raffles (1966) about Stamford Raffles

• Histories: These books explored important historical events and places.
  • The Great Within (1941) about Peking and the Forbidden City
  • The Land of the Great Image (1943) about Arakan
  • Foreign Mud (1946) about the First Opium War
  • Last and First in Burma (1956)
  • The Hurling Time (1958) about England in the Fourteenth Century

• Fiction: He also wrote novels and stories.
  • She Was a Queen (1937)
  • Sanda Mala (1940)

• Drama: He wrote plays as well.
  • The Motherly and Auspicious (1943) about the Empress Dowager Tzu Hsi

• Other Works:
  • Lords of the Sunset: A Tour in the Shan States (1938) where he wrote about his travels in the Shan States in Northern Burma.