The Hopeful Future of the Malay Novel
7 min read
Time and again, I lose myself in the maze of shelves at the bookstore.At one of the remaining major bookstores in Penang, I cruise – as usual – fr...
Opening Worlds through Translation
5 min read
It was, for the most part, translations that brought me to become a keen social and cultural observer, and a full-time fanatic of modern classic English literat...
How Different the Kelantan of My Youth Was
4 min read
Our lives revolve around locating ourselves within the unfamiliar, and coming to terms with all the differences that we chance upon in our surroundings. There a...
Seni Reog: An Epic Battle Then, and a Cultural Dispute Now
6 min read
IN INDONESIA’S kabupaten (regency) of Ponorogo, people tell the story of the mythical battle between their king, Kelono Sewandono and the magical lion-like crea...
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Manora: Much More Than Just a Ritualistic Dance
6 min read
PEOPLE FREELY MOVED along the neck of the Malay peninsula before the 1940 Agreement was introduced which necessitated a border pass for crossing between British...
The Word and the World(Part One)
12 min read
Transmitting Culture through TranslationTranslators are the unsung heroes of the literary world. Their products are widely enjoyed and consumed but their names...
Balik Pulau: A Pace Apart
Balik Pulau is one of the earliest Malay settlements in Penang, populated by refugees from Kedah who sought escape from Siamese invaders. Colonial-era buildings...
A Future in Penang for the Film Industry
4 min read
THE HISTORY OF Malaysian cinema began along Jalan Ampas in Singapore in 1933 with Leila Majnun, a rendition of a classical Persian story about two ill-fated lov...
Covid-19 Exclusives: Journalists are Also Essential Workers During Times of Crisis
5 min read
EVER SINCE THE World Health Organization (WHO) declared Covid-19 a global pandemic, Zaim Aiman Ibrahim, a Penang-based journalist for The Malaysian Insight, has...
Covid-19 Exclusives: Balik Kampung: The Lockdown Offers a Chance for a Sincere Return to Oneself
5 min read
A 300KM RIDE back home along the east-west coast highway connecting Penang to Kelantan usually involves three phone calls to be made: the first, an early mornin...
Jelutong in Numbers
2 min read
Jelutong or jit loh tōng in Hokkien derives its name from the magnificent Jelutong tree that can grow up to 60m tall and wildly grew on the island. In the mid-n...