Ban Books - Boost Sales!

Bizarrely, (withholding the books) probably meant we sold more books. We wouldn’t have done this well otherwise ...

Palgrave Macmillan executive director for East Asia, Steve Maginn, talks to Starmag's Elizabeth Tai about the seizure of Barry Wain's Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times, and the way it (ironically) boosted sales when the book was finally released.

Elsewhere, Tunku Halim reviews the book ... and suggests we should look past the lost RM50bil.  Myself, I don't feel that allegation can or should be swept under the carpet.

Read Great Lit to Save your Souls

Malaysian youths must be exposed to more local literature that highlight noble values like respect and responsibility ... Reading high-quality literature needs to be encouraged because it is the best way to inculcate the culture of knowledge and instill positive values in our youths.

said Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin (who is also the deputy PM) at the presentation of the Hadiah Sastera Perdana Malaysia (Malaysia Premier Literary Award), The Star reports today. (There's a much fuller account of what he actually said on the Bernama website which actually reads much better.)

It is great to see such support of literature, but I'd remind the minister that we read for pleasure, the rest follows : along the way, it might actually make us better people, but it "being good for us" is never the reason why we pick up a book.  

But I do agree with him that it would be great to see local literature make the transition to other media, but please make translation into English a priority!!

And it's good that there is a RM200mil Creative Industry Fund, but it would be nice to see some of the money spent on what writers actually need in this country - courses, workshops, resources,  grants and bursaries. 

And not just for Malay language writers - those writing in English are doing so much to put the country on the map internationally, and there are Chinese and Tamil writers to consider too.

But anyhow you can't just throw money at something and expect it to happen.  Those that are making a mark internationally are, in every case,  those who have had the gumption to do something for themselves and the willingness to make big sacrifices.

It is indeed sad that the Award has now dropped its English language category, and I feel *big sigh* there is something symbolic in that too. it also strikes me as really odd that the awards were for books published several years ago - this gives the impression of some not-being-on-the-ballness which might give the prize an image problem.

Anyway, all this minister speak has overshadowed the actual results so here are the prize winners :

Among the works that received the award were a children’s novel, Azrul Wira Anak Laut (by Hassan Omar), a novel for adolescents Me­­nikam Kalbu (Faisal Tehrani), an anthology of poems entitled Salju Shibuya (Muhammad Salleh) and anthology of short stories entitled Mekar Sakura di Mimbar Cinta (Ilham Hamdani) .... Arena Wati was given the HSPM 2004-2005 posthumously for his book Armageddon Jilid 1: Mandala.

Biggest congrats on your success!

New Biog of Mahathir Isn't Reaching Shops

800 copies of an authoritative new biography of our former PM entitled Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times have been held up for the past three weeks at customs at Port Klang. Says The Asian Sentinel, the book written by former Asian Wall Street Journal Managing Editor Barry Wain :

... is a warts-and-all, critical but fair account of Mahathir's 22 years in power. It is certain to become an essential study for scholars seeking to understand the onetime premier's reign and its consequences. But maybe not in Malaysia itself unless the locals buy through Barns & Noble (available Jan. 10) or Amazon (Jan. 5) for US$60.75.

And the piece gives a lovely insight into how a book can be prevented from reading its audience without ever actually being banned by time time honoured practice of foot-dragging :

Foreign published books air-freighted into Malaysia often go through customs without being checked, or with only a cursory check at the airport. Books sent by ship or by land from Singapore are often stopped for inspection, however, which can mean customs officers spending weeks reading the material. Sometimes they just sit on the book, leaving the publisher with little option but to withdraw it or be faced with being hit with storage charges, leaving the book effectively banned without the government having to face criticism for formally banning it.

Aliran says that this is

... nothing short of crude and reckless censorship, although indirect, the effect is the same. It very undemocratically denies Malaysians reading material that should be made freely available to all and sundry. This book is of particular interest to citizens who are appalled by the disclosure that under Mahathir RM100 billion could have been squandered. They have been waiting anxiously to find out how this atrocity involving a mammoth, mind-boggling amount could have happened without anybody commenting on this extravagance.

(One silly silly line at the end of the piece :

But for readers who buy Kindle or another electronic reader, it's easy to get.

because of course there isn't a single e-reader for the Malaysian market as yet !)

More about the book on Anak Bangsa Malaysia's blog.

Update 27/12 :

This from The Star :

The book Malaysian Maverick: Mahathir Mohamad in Turbulent Times is not being put through any additional scrutiny by the Home Ministry.

It has been withheld to undergo the normal process for any foreign publication, said ministry deputy secretary-general Datuk Ahmad Fuad Abdul Aziz.

“Studying the content is the usual process for any publication from abroad and the book written by Barry Wain is no exception,” Ahmad Fuad said in a statement yesterday.

He said this was to ensure the publication’s contents would not jeopardise national security and public safety.

He said the ministry had 60 days from the time it was submitted to decide if the book should be allowed to be distributed in the country.

Launched

Playing catch up here with news of recent book launches.

One I haven't blogged about at all (and feel guilty for slipping up on!) was Amir Muhammad's tribute to our late great filmmaker, Yasmin Ahmad's Films.

The books was launched on 18 November at Sunway College because Yasmin had given a talk there just a few weeks before she died. Here's a recording of Amir's speech and you can read a bit more here :


Am planning to read the books alongside watching the DVD's ...

Below is a picture of Animah Kosai's daughter, Sarah, cutting the ribbon to launch Farish Noor's book What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You (another publication from Matahari books) at Central Market Annexxe. I took the pic from Liza Manshoor's Facebook page as my own attempt, taken from way back, was blurry and horrid.



The book was so hot off the press there was still steam rising from it. It is also an extremly beautifully produced book, illustrated throughout as you can see from these sample pages, and the content - which grew out of Farish's lecture series at the Annexxe - is fascinating on Malaysian culture and history, looking at it from fresh angles. (Small wonder then that Amir M managed to shift a record number of copies (149 copies in 2 hours!). Couldn't wait to start reading this and gobbled down the discussion of Hang Tuah going back on the LRT.

Here are a couple of videos from the launch - first very talented support act Dizzy & The, and then Farish's speech.






I also went along to Nik Nazmi's launch of both the English and Malay versions of his new book at Itudio Studio in Kelana Mall. (Here's Nik's account of the event.)The venue was bursting at the seems and handed out free saunas to all who were trying to crush inside (pre-requisite of being a politicians - you don't suffer from claustrophobia!). Selangor Chief Minister Khalid gave a very good speech and I appreciated the fact that he recited a poem by the late Usman Awang about the Malays.

I finished the book when I got home - it's very sensible and well-written, and as with Farish's book - you just hope that people will read and become that much wiser.

Biggest congrats to all.

Malays Moving Forward

I invited Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad to guest blog about his new book and launch tomorrow :

Alhamdulillah, my first book is now out. It is published in English and Malay as Moving Forward: Malays for the 21st Century / Mendepani Zaman: Melayu untuk Abad ke-21. It is published by Marshall Cavendish Malaysia. Having written various essays for many publications, I have long dreamt of writing a book. This effort itself spanned a few years (even before 8 March 2008) but I finalised the draft this year. The discourse on Malays in Malaysia is shifting in the 21st century. I argue about how Malays must move forward to survive and succeed in facing today’s challenges: the emerging new politics, forging a people’s economy, resolving the education question, the position of Islam in a multiracial society and the unravelling of the social fabric. While race will remain important as an identity, Moving Forward challenges the assumption of the racial zero sum-game as, ultimately, the future of the Malays cannot be separated from Malaysians in general. The book is dedicated to my parents. YAB Tan Sri Dato’ Abdul Khalid Ibrahim, the Menteri Besar will launch my book tomorrow. The details are as follows: Date: 8 December 2009 (Tuesday) Time: 3.15 PM Venue: Itudio Studio, 31D-2 Kelana Mall, Jln SS 6/12, 47301, Petaling Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia (map at http://www.itudiostudio.com/about-us) Contact: Saifullah 0378063660 / saifullah@niknazmi.com Dress code: Smart casual / office attire The book can now be bought at RM24.90 at major bookstores including Kinokuniya KLCC and Popular Bookstores. Distributors can contact the publisher through Michelle Low tel: 03-5628 5928 or michelle@my.marshallcavendish.com.

I plan to go and maybe will see you there?

The Winners Are…

The cover story of Starmag's ReadsMonthly supplement was of course the results of the Popular-The Star Readers’ Choice Awards.

Tan Sri Abdullah Ahmad (left) who edited and compiled Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad’s Selected Letters to World Leaders talks about how the idea for the winning book came about during a casual meeting with the former PM three years ago. The English edition of the book book has apparently sold more than 15,000 copies, but it hasn't been reviewed in the press at all. There is apparently sufficient material for a second collection.

Robert Raymer, the fiction winner says :

I felt that I had a good chance of being in the top three, and I really thought that either Preeta Samarasan or Tan Twan Eng would win!

He says that in writing his stories :

I always take notes of people I see and hear. For Lovers and Strangers, most of the characters were developed through real people like my ex-wife, my mother-in-law, and an uncle.

(Shall I be nervous next time Robert comes to stay?)

Also in today's Starmag, Daphne Lee writes about books with furry covers!

Talking the Right Talk

Talks to Fahmi Fadzil on PopTV this week is former Law Minister and author Zaid Ibrahim, whose second book Saya Pun Melayu (I Am Also Malay) is available in bookshops nationwide. (Or should be! MagP reports that the first run of 10,000 copies of the new book sold out within a few days of publication!)


I was supposed to go to the launch the other day but wimped out rather when I heard Anwar Ibrahim and Nik Aziz were going to be there too. (So sorry, Ezra!) I enjoy book launches, but am somewhat allergic to politics. Nevertheless, I like what Datuk Zaid is saying very much, found his previous book to be full of the kind of talk that deserves to be walked, and I hope that he will soon be in a position to bring some effective change to the country.

You can read an extract from the forward of the book here, and I hope that there will soon be an English translation. Amir Muhammad reviews the book here.

The launch is reported by Malaysiakini :

Newspaper Miscellany

A hodge-podge of loosely connected things linked only by their appearance in Malaysian newspapers ...

Malaysian P.M. Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi launches a fantasy novel written by 13 year old Adam Umemoto who happens to be his nephew.

Of course the occasion was used to get in a political soundbite ... Resolve the Language Issue Before it Gets Out of Hand. (We learn nothing here about the young author or his book which is a pity.)

Out of hand the language issue has already got, methinks, and I agree with the Education Minister Datuk Seri Hishamuddin Hussein* : why bring up the issue 6 years after the policy was formulated? - after teachers have been trained and are working hard to make it a success, after textbooks have been written, and after the kids have proved they are coping with it?

I've seen this effort at the ground level (in teacher-training, in schools across the country) and it makes me very sad indeed that there are those intent on pulling it apart again.

National Laureate A. Samad Said was among those handing over a memorandum to the palace. (You can also watch a video at ChannelNews Asia - and there is some very good comment at Another Brick in the Wall.)

Enough.

Let me move on to things much happier.

It's International Women's Day today and in Starmag Amy de Kanter offers an eclectic list of women writers who :

write about loving, laughing and living large ...

A bilingual book of Malaysian/German fairytales, is to be launched at the KL International bookfair in August, tentatively titled Kisah Dongeng dan Cerita Rakyat Malaysia dan German. It will be the fourth collaboration between the National Translation Institute (ITNMB) and Goethe-Institut Malaysia.

Also, the National Library currently has an exhibition promoting the literary works of Finland, which features the book covers of Finnish literary works that have been translated. The photo (right) shows deputy head of mission of the Finnish Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Henna Knuuttila, handing a copy of Kalevala, a national epic which has been translated into 60 languages to National Library director-general Raslin Abu Bakar at the launch.

Featured are literary works which feature current issues and daily life, there are children’s books, poems and fantasy stories. The literary works depict contemporary culture and recent times including the works of author Sofi Oksanen, who wrote about Estonia after World War II.

Said Knuuttila :

Finnish works have been translated to languages like French, German, Russian, Chinese and English. With this exhibition, people will get an idea of the works, get interested and look for more information. Finnish is not widely spoken so the translations are very important for us.

The exhibition will be held until March 31 at the library. Shall we organise a Bibliobibuli field-trip?

(* Oh goodness, what's happening to me? I am agreeing with government policy. Checks forehead for signs of fever.)

Postscript :

Have been caught up reading other views on the subject - Rocky links some very good posts. I also like what Ungku Aziz has to say about bilingual education.

Chye on Pop TV

Kee Thuan Chye is interviewed on The Fairly Current Show this week by Fahmi Fadzil about his latest book March 8: The Day Malaysia Woke Up.

The big questions how much have things actually changed since March 8th and are those winds of change still blowing?

Open Letter to Obama

I got all choked up and teary-eyed when the election results came in today and Barack Obama had won. I really wish him all the best, especially as he takes over the reins at a particularly difficult time in US history with uncertainty if not meltdown in the financial markets and environmental catastrophe imminent.

I'm sure we all have our own particular prayers for the new president. Novelist Alice Walker writes him an open letter in The Root, full of good advice.

Hmm what else should we tell him?

Update :

Maya Angelou's reaction.

(Thanks Melissa for sending me the link.)

Read Like a President

McCain and Obama are so different in so many ways, but they do share one thing: a kind of tragic sensibility. Judging from the books they cite as most important, they embrace hope but recognize the reality that life is unlikely to conform to our wishes.

Can you judge a presidential candidate by the books they read - or say they read? In the New York Times, Jon Meacham reflects on McCain and Obama's literary tastes.

Both candidates seem to prefer heavyweight, more classic stuff - I wonder if either ever pick up a contemporary novel? (I'd put a copy of Cormac McCarthy's The Road in their hands right away!) And what do they read for fun???

Although Obama gets my good parent vote for reading Harry Potter to his kid, and he's certainly been making the right noises about the importance of reading and literacy education.

Anyway, should you wish to follow in the presidential footsteps, Amazon has set up a page so you can order the books the candidates mention. [Found via]. Never miss a marketing opportunity!

It's a shame that those of us in the rest of the world don't get a vote in the US presidential elections, as whoever does get into office affects our lives too.

Those Arrests

It's no good. It's too big to be ignored. Forgive the off-topicness.

This blogger vehemently protests the arrest and detention without trial of Raja Petra, MP Theresa Kok and Sin Chew Daily journalist Tan Hoon Cheng under the Internal Security Act. I add my voice to those demanding their immediate release.

More here on The Malaysian Insider ... which also says that intelligence sources said more arrests are likely ... making us wonder if this is this a repeat of the infamous Operation Lalang of 1987?

Three newspapers have also been issued show-cause letters.

Certainly these measures smack of desperation and are taken by a government which has clearly lost the plot.

Tan's arrest (for, hello, simply doing her job as a reporter!) has sent shockwaves through those working in the media. On Rocky's blog, Norlia Daud of the National Union of Journalists is quoted as saying :

This is a gravely serious matter. For the first time in 21 years, a journalist has been detained under the ISA. A reporter has been detained under ISA for doing her job, for reporting. The Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi, only recently told media practioners to be brave in reporting the truth [read the Star's Uphold the truth, 4/9], and now the Government has taken an action designed to intimidate these media practitioners. Sin Chew has been issued with a show-cause letter by the Government over the Ahmad Ismail report, so why invoke the ISA when before letting the newspaper editors respond to the show-cause? Also, I am very disappointed that the editors have not been hauled up. In any newspaper company, it is the Editor who is accountable. The NUJ will monitor the developments very closely.

I'm not very good at writing of matters political so please let me pass you on to other bloggers who talk a lot of sense. Here's some to start with : Kickdefella, Marina Mahathir, KTemoc, Lulu, Patrick Teoh, Jeff Ooi, Eli Wong.

(The badge, which I also picked up from Rocky's blog, is designed by Mr. Smith and I wish I had a real life version to wear.)

Oh No You Don't, Kev!

Compared to China, and perhaps elsewhere, Australia is abashed, sceptical and ironic about its writers. Literary prizes tend to raise little public attention: Australia has no equivalent, for example, of the Man Booker carnival, and there's no especial public esteem offered to the lucky recipients of awards. The Miles Franklin Award, arguably the country's most prestigious, raises an eyebrow, but has little hope of competing for cultural attention with the panoptical hyperbole of television or sport.

Gail Jones writes on the Guardian blog about why the newly established Australian Prime Minister's Literary Award (for which she has been shortlisted) is very important:

It seemed, simply by its announcement, to affirm a new commitment to literary culture, to legitimate its importance, and to suggest, almost heretically, that writing was an activity worthy of serious regard and reward.

and why, at the same time, the PM Kevin Rudd should not choose the winner.

And the nominations for the award are :

Fiction shortlist

Burning In by Mireille Juchau
El Dorado by Dorothy Porter
Jamaica: A novel by Malcolm Knox
Sorry by Gail Jones
The Complete Stories by David Malouf
The Widow and Her Hero by Tom Keneally
The Zookeeper's War by Steven Conte

Non-fiction shortlist

A History of Queensland by Raymond Evans
Cultural Amnesia: Notes in the Margin of My Time by Clive James
My Life as a Traitor by Zarah Ghahramani with Robert Hillman
Napoleon: The Path to Power, 1769-1799 by Philip Dwyer
Ochre and Rust: Artefacts and Encounters on Australian Frontiers by Philip Jones
Shakespeare's Wife by Germaine Greer
Vietnam: The Australian War by Paul Ham

A full synopsis of all the books can be found in pdf's on the award website : fiction here and non-fiction here.

Obama's Book

Yann Martell of course started the trend of making pointed political comment with the book gift or two.

More recently The New York Times asked authors including Junot Diaz, Lorrie Moore (who recommended Macbeth for Hilalry Clinton!) and Barbara Kingsolver to suggest titles for the presidential hopefuls, after Obama was seen reading Fareed Zakaria The Post-American World. (Which I would really like to read myself.)

Guy Damman on The Guardian blog passed on the question on to its readers with some interesting results.

And I pass it on to you too. What books would you say are must-reads for Cane and Obama (now that it's down to a two-horse race)?

And, of course (and much more interestingly), which books would you like to see in the hands of Malaysia's own politicians?