Faisal Tehrani's Workshop

Award-winning Malay-language author Faisal Tehrani will be running a creative writing workshop at MPH Megastore 1 Utama 17 Aug (Sun) 2.00 – 5.30pm.

For more details, click up this poster :

Uncovering the Real Faisal

An Islamic extremist? An ultra-nationalist? A West basher? A national laureate in the making?

Award-winning author Faisal Tehrani has been accused of all of the above, but Bissme S. digs among the misconceptions for the truth in a Sun interview. Along the way he finds out how Faisal first got started as a writer, how he was encouraged by a couple of other great Malay authors, and how he became politically and socially aware.

I'm glad that Faisal talks about how he feels there is a market for serious Malay language literature (he's a lot more positive than most other commentators have been) and agree with him about the need for translation, not just into English but across Malaysian languages.

I would very much like to read Faisal's novels as I've heard them highly praised, but have yet to find any translations into English.

Malay Literature ... In the Doldrums?

Lim Swee Tin is interviewed by Bissme S. in the Sun. Of Chinese and Thai parentage and one of the few non-Malay writers to write poetry and short fiction in the Malay language, Lim paints a depressing picture of a stagnant Malay language literary scene:

There has not been much progress. Our literature is far behind that of the (rest of the) world. We need to shake things up so our literature scene will move at a fast pace and we will catch up with the rest of the world.

We are stagnant in terms of new ideas. And it is not enough just to have new ideas. It is also important to present these new ideas in a way the world’s readers can relate to them. It also boils down to your writing technique and presentation.

Malaysian writers writing in English such as Tash Aw (Harmony Silk Factory) and Rani Manicka (The Rice Mother) are on the right track. They have somehow perfected the art, presented their ideas so world readers could relate to them. It is not surprising that western journals feature them and their books. At the same time, I also find there are not enough writers producing serious Malay literature. We can count them on our fingers. One particular young writer I am really impressed with is Faisal Tehrani. I see a lot of potential in him.