Archive for the ‘Malaysian Literature in English’ Category

Updating Bibliography of Malaysian Literature in English

Saturday, October 3rd, 2009

In 2001 I published A Bibliography of Malaysian Literature in English. I had started compiling data a few years earlier and wanted to put together a volume which documented the development of Malaysian Literature in English as a literary tradition.

I have had a very good response to the volume and I was very encouraged by the fact that the bibilography had been purchased by many international university libraries.

All bibilograhies become outdated the very day they are published as the result of the many publications that come almost on a daily basis. So there is indeed a need to continually update the data.

I have continued to collect data on the publication of Malaysian literary works in English. I have been aided by friends and writers who keep me informed of their latest publications.

I am working towards publishing an updated version of the 2001 bibliography in mid-2010. I would like to invite my readers to send me bibliographical details of Malaysian English literary publications they may know - both written in English or translated into English.

Thanks for your support!

Posted in Malaysian Literature in English | No Comments »

What is Malaysian Literature in English?

Wednesday, November 7th, 2007

This blog posting in written in response to a local publisher’s view on what is Malaysian Literature in English. He states it is writing from: “anyone who lives in or who has lived in Malaysia and has a unique perspective of what we are all about”. I do not subscribe to such a view.

 It may seem odd when people ask: What is Malaysian Literature in English? It would seem rather obvious that it is writings in English by Malaysians. It should be quite clear that the language is English and the writers will be of Malaysian nationality. The language bit seems quite straightforward and easy to accept. The nationality issue can  become problematic as there are writers who were born Malaysian but have gone on to accept new nationalities. So are they no longer Malaysian writers? These writers continue to write about Malaysia, for example, Shirley Lim and the late Ee Tiang Hong. In the case of Catherline Lim who was born in Malaysia and is a Singaporean national, no one would doubt that her work is anything but Singaporean Literature in English. Her work is essentially set in Singapore and her characters are mostly Singaporeans.

While compiling a bibliography of Malaysian literature in English, which was eventually published in 2001 (Petaling Jaya: Sasbadi Sdn. Bhd.). I had to decide who to include and who to leave out. This was the stand I took  and state in Introduction:

The works cited in this Bibliography are by writers born in Malaysia, some of whom may be residing overseas but their writings continue to portray a Malaysian world view.

Essentially I believe that Malaysian Literature in English is literary works by Malaysians. Let us be selfish and claim ownership for ourselves. Non-Malaysians, including foreigners who live in Malaysia, who choose to write about Malaysia and Malaysian life or their experiences in Malaysian should not be considered to be part of Malaysian literature in English. It may seem a little flippant to allow any Tom, Dick, Harry or Mary into our literary canon. We have many good Malaysian writers and we don’t need to depend on Others for the development of Malaysian literature in English.

Posted in Malaysian Literature in English | 4 Comments »