My interview with the illustrator of The Gruffalo and other books by Julia Donaldson could not be reproduced in full in StarMag today because of the lack of space (books don't get many pages and I think that's not just in Malaysia).
Anyway, it's just as well that this blog exists.
"In an attempt to change the tide of Malay fiction, Sufian Abas' debut collection of stories boasts simple language and tales that will appeal to the average Malaysian."
That was the standfirst for my interview with Sufian (StarMag, 30th March, 2008), but I'm not sure about the "average Malaysian" bit. I think the stories in Kasut Biru Rubina might lead most average Malaysians to conclude that Sufian Abas is a madman. They wouldn't be entirely wrong. However, insanity is, I've always believed, an asset when it comes to creating art.
Sufian's stories are modern art, urban fairytales that shock, inspire and amuse. They've got me thinking that I might write in Malay myself - the sort of Malay that I speak to my children's nanny and the bloke who sells goreng pisang down the road from my flat. However, please, don't hold your breath waiting for my first Malay short story ...
Kasut Biru Rubina is available at MPH Bookstores, Borders Bookstore and Silverfish Books.
An author testifies to the truth about the long-held belief among TV
producers and tabloid newspaper editors that sex sells – much to the
chagrin of earnest literary prize judges, no doubt...
NIGEL Cawthorne, author of more than 80 books, is probably best known for his Sex Lives
series, comprising, so far, a dozen books that catalogue the sexual
habits of the world’s rich and powerful, famous and shameless.
The 56-year-old British author was in Singapore at the beginning of the
month to speak at the Singapore Writers Festival. He was supposed to
head a panel discussion on the, erm, ins and outs of writing sex scenes
but, unfortunately, this event did not go ahead as planned.
Yes, sex sells!
Cawthorne spoke, instead, on being a hired gun. Many of his books are commissioned and he says he never turns down an assignment if the money is good. Also, even when he comes up with his own idea for a book, he will only continue writing it once a publisher makes a commitment to it.
Continue reading "Lives of the rich, famous and shameless" »
Get it from the horse’s mouth: the man who decides which manuscript sees print and which is tossed shares his insights about being published.
Reading his poems in public isn't Shahril Nizam's favourite thing to do, but he's making more of an effort to be seen and heard now that he has published his first book (of illustrated poems).
Even before the book (If Only), Shahril had a following thanks to his blog on which he posted his work, (he recently wiped the site clean for reasons even he isn’t entirely clear about, but thinks he’ll start posting again soon), but he tended to avoid poetry readings. He’s reading quite regularly now – most recently at WayangKata IV, No Black Tie’s regular poetry gig.
I interviewed US-based Chinese author Qiu Xiaolong in April this year and the story was finally published today.
Since then I've also got around to reading the first book in his Chief Inspector Chen series. I really liked it and I want to read the other books.
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Death of a Red Heroine
ONE afternoon, the naked body of a young woman is found wrapped in a black trash bag in an obscure canal in Shanghai. It is the corpse is of Guan Hongying (the name Hongying can be read as "red heroine"), a national model worker, thus bringing the case’s political aspects squarely into place. Chief Inspector Chen Cao and his older subordinate Yu investigate the case, eventually tracing the likely murderer as Wu Xiaoming, the only son of Wu Bai, a high-ranking Party cadre.
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A Loyal Character Dancer
CHEN and Inspector Catherine Rohn of the US Marshal Service must work together to find a missing woman. She is married to an important witness in a US criminal case who has refused to testify unless his pregnant wife is allowed to join him. The Chinese government has reluctantly agreed to let her go and the Americans have sent a marshal to escort her. Then, inexplicably she vanishes....
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When Red Is Black
WHEN Yin Lige, the author of a banned book, is found murdered in her Shanghai apartment, Chen and detective Yu Guangming must solve a case that may have far-reaching political and social implications. (The “red” of the title refers to Mao Zedong’s Red Guard, the “black” to the supposed enemies of the working class denounced during the Cultural Revolution.).
Yu soon uncovers the long-ago romance between the victim and Yang Bing, a college professor.
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THE Communist Party leadership appears to be vigorously investigating rampant corruption among the profligate power elite during China’s economic reforms of the recent past.
After the head of the Fujian special case squad is murdered in sordid circumstances, Chen discovers that the dead man had been probing a wealthy businessman, Xing Xing, who fled to the United States to escape prosecution.
Chen himself is then given the highest authority to carry on the investigation, which takes him to the United States, but he soon realises he’s not meant to succeed.
Source: Wikipedia, Amazon.com, FantasticFiction.co.uk
StarMag, 8th April 2007.
Breaking barriers
An author who wrote about an Australian teenager struggling with her faith strikes a chord among Malaysian teens.
IN Does My Head Look Big in This?, Randa Abdel-Fattah describes the experiences of a young Muslim Palestinian-Australian after she decides to wear the hijab (veil).
Last week, I met and interviewed Tom Palmer, an author who develops and works on reader development programmes in the UK.
One of the things Palmer does is promote reading through football.
I attended a workshop conducted by him at the National Library and was inspired! My friend and I are hoping to launch a community library next year and I'm really looking forward to the workshops and programmes that we'll be able to run there.
Matthew Reinhart (left) and Robert Sabuda are partners in pop-up crime, whose skills bring movable books to a whole different level.
I have four of their books and paid a pretty penny for each, but ... no regrets. If you're thinking of getting something special for someone who loves books as much as they do art, I recommend a book by Sabuda aand Reinhart.
Star Mag, 22nd October 2006.
It was one of the highlights of my week, back when I was in school: Adibah Amin's column As I Was Passing, in the News Straits Times. And so, it was a big thrill when I got the chance to interview her about her first English novel ....
Star Mag, 22nd October 2006
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June 2008: Jenny Wagner (Author) & Ron Brooks (Illustrator): John Brown, Rose and the Midnight Cat
John Brown is an old English sheep dog. He belongs to Rose, an old widow, and is a deeply devoted companion. Says Rose, "We are all right, John Brown. Just the two of us. You and me." But one night, Rose notices a cat in the garden. A midnight cat. She is fascinated by the cat. John Brown doesn't approve. He tells the cat to leave. But Rose wants the cat. She longs for it. She leaves it milk in a bowl, which John Brown tips over. Finally, Rose takes to her bed and declares that she might stay there forever. John Brown is sad and decides that, because he loves Rose so much, he will put up with the midnight cat. This is a strange picture book - quite gloomy and sombre. The midnight cat is slightly sinister - could it be a symbol of death? When John Brown finally allows the cat into the cottage, is he really accepting Rose's death? Perhaps being a true friend includes being able to let go.
