The written word in a democratised world
5 min read
Literature and the individualThe only subject I was really excited by when I went to school four decades ago was Literature, both as a subject and in the form...
Letting little things talk
6 min read
What fascinates me greatly about your writing is your ability – and your apparent need – to embellish your narration with sensitive descriptions of...
A Magnificently Rich Tome on Early Penang
4 min read
There are several questions about the history of Penang that have bothered me for quite a while, satisfactory responses to which cannot be found in any Malaysia...
When Penang became a Spice Island
7 min read
Spices were much sought after, not only to tempt Europe’s tongues but also to cure its sick who were suffering from the plague and other nasty diseases. A...
One country’s Merdeka is another’s damage control
6 min read
It takes two hands to clap; there is no shore unless there is sea; one man’s ceiling is another man’s floor – as the poet rightly claims.You...
The more individual stories we acknowledge, the more authentic our national history
6 min read
Balik kampung – a true Malaysian traditionOne thing common to most Malaysians is the balik kampung tradition. This goes even for those millions who have...
George Town – From city to municipality to culture centre
7 min read
George Town thus had the honour of becoming Malaya’s first city. It remained the country’s only city until 1972, when KL, on being separated from Se...
The Unity Fetish
10 min read
Boy in Kelantan. Collective identities are a demand from without, while individual identity is a personally lived experience.The collective individualMa...
Marina Mahathir: Malaysia is my colour movie
11 min read
Datin Paduka Marina Mahathir is the keynote speaker at the fifth George Town Literary Festival (GTLF), which takes place on November 27-29 . On a daily basis, M...
The Penan’s Lament: “The Forest is Our Skin”
5 min read
Rainforest Hero: The Life and Death of Bruno Manser, by Ruedi Suter, SIRD (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) & Bergli (Basel, Switzerland), 2015. Translated by Ali...
Mahathir: “People Must Be Able to Hold Their Heads Up.”
11 min read
Ooi Kee Beng: Tun, your generation fascinates me. You are of the nation-building generation who dared to imagine that it would not only change the world, but co...
Creating a City of Culture Costs – But We Should Happily Pay
2 min read
Artists – be they painters or sculptors, musicians or even authors – need sponsors. They need patrons. In our commercial age, there is of course t...