Merdeka/Malaysia Day reads: anthologies and collections

Once again, it's the most patriotic time of the year in Malaysia, and flags are flying almost everywhere: public buildings, homes, and even vehicles as the whole country gets into the Merdeka and Malaysia Day mood. Independence Day is on 31 August, while Malaysia Day is marked on 16 September.

Around this time, vendors get into the spirit as well, and we're no exception. However, we'd like to think that this time of the year is extra special for picking up books about Malaysia, whether written by Malaysians or not. Nostalgia over the past, concerns about the present, hopes for the future, and visions of what might be tend to colour many Malaysian stories, especially those penned by the country's sons and daughters who have been abroad for a long time.

Many such writings still resonate, despite occasional brickbats about how some of them sound derivative or clichéd, suggesting that even after six decades of independence and nationhood, the things that unite us, the things that we can relate to as Malaysians, still haven't changed. Comforting, in a way, as we emerge from the events of the past several years towards a return to some semblance of normalcy.

Let's kick things off with a small selection of Malaysian anthologies ...

Straits Eclectic
Gerakbudaya Enterprise
9789670311067

Named for the architectural style of many pre-war shophouses in George Town, Penang, this collection of essays by a diverse group of (then) young Malaysians united by a love for their country promises to be a unique blend of writing styles and musings on what it means to be Malaysian. The featured stories are soulful and as eclectic as the melting pot that these writers call home.

Bunga Emas: An Anthology of Contemporary Malaysian Literature (1930-1963)
Silverfish Books
9789833221493

First published in 1964, this edition includes a collection of poems from the original editor, T. Wignesan, titled Tracks of a Tramp. This anthology of Malayan/Malaysian literature features writings from 1930 to 1963, includes those in Chinese and Tamil that have been translated into English. The title shares the same name as an intricately crafted arrangement of flowers made of gold that serves as a tribute, just as each piece in the collection is a tribute to a then-fledgling nation that became its writer's home.

Hungry in Ipoh
Fixi Novo
9789670954059

Fifteen short stories about people and their ties to the historic city of Ipoh, Perak. As its title suggests, a common thread that runs through these stories is hunger, both literal and metaphorical. While the featured genres run the gamut from humour to horror, the writing retains the unflinching, in-your-face style of pulp fiction Fixi is known for. Readers are likely to look at Ipoh in a new light.

Lives Under Lockdown: A Young Writers' Anthology
MPH Group Publishing
9789672923053

Twenty Malaysian writers aged 11 to 15 takes readers on dramatic journeys through Kuala Lumpur with tales of murder, mystery, slice of life and horror, This anthology is the result of a seven-month Junior Writers Programme (JWP) conducted by writer-editor-trainer Brigitte Rozario, who guided them through the basics of writing short fiction. Some of the results are surprising, even when one considers their ages, and offers hope that with the right education and guidance, our youth can accomplish great things.

The Sea Is Ours: Tales from Steampunk Southeast Asia
Rosarium Publishing
9781495607561

Steampunk stories feature retrofuturistic technology with the aesthetics of 19th-century industrial steam-powered machinery, and are usually set in an alternate version of the Victorian era. Hence, this collection of Southeast Asian steampunk tales is refreshing yet familiar: airships that harness the power of erupting volcanoes in the Philippines, golems in Singapore, fighting spiders in powered exosuits, and more. Be amazed at the ways technology and the everyday of Southeast Asia come together in the minds of writers from this region.

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Let us know what you think of our picks. We'll be coming up with more selections for this season, so stay tuned!