The bookman who embraced Penang
By Marco Ferrarese
January 2015 FEATURE
Petaling Jaya-based independent publisher Fixi conquered Malaysia's bestsellers charts with a new wave of pulp fiction that dares to defy Islamic conservatism and the country’s alleged lowreading rates.Flesh-eating zombies, teenage drugrunners, cannibal condoms from outer space. On the other hand, there’s also Jemaah Islamiyah-affiliated terrorists on the hunt for runaway Thai prostitutes, glue-sniffing motorcycle gangs, shifty immigrant workers, incestuous imams and all sorts of ghosts. If it’s dark and scary, Malaysia seems to have it these days. Nothing to worry...
Marco Ferrarese
is a musician, author and travel writer. He has written about overland travel and extreme music in Asia, and blogs at www.monkeyrockworld.com. He also curates the Penang Insider, the smart guide for traveling and living in Penang, at www.penang-insider.com. His latest book, The Travels of Marco Yolo, is available in bookstores. Follow him on Twitter @monkeyrockworld.
