By The Book

In his debut novel, speculative fiction writer Wole Talabi draws on Yoruba mythology to tell an adventure story that spans space and time. At the heart of the tale is Shigidi, a disgruntled nightmare god who partners up with Nneoma, a succubus with a mysterious past. Together, they find themselves tangled up in a heist at the British Museum, battling magical and mythical forces. We speak to Wole about his love for this genre, how the character of Shigidi came about, and why he enjoys drawing on his Nigerian roots for his stories. To close off, we review the book.

Image Credit: Goodreads

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15 years on from its first successful run, Kam Raslan's Confessions of an Old Boy: The Dato Hamid Adventures has been reissued, with a brand new look, and a previously unpublished story. We speak to Kam about the appeal and delight of writing about Dato Hamid and in his unique voice and what it was like to revisit the book after more than a decade. And then in Footnotes, we ask him for some recommendations!

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Bringing together her love for writing with her love for travel and discovering new cultures, Dipika Mukherjee's Writer's Postcards is a collection of essays spanning decades that capture her observations of the world. Part travelogue and part memoir, the book brings the personal, the political, and the global together, while also making a case for travel writing through a specifically female and Asian lens. We speak with Dipika about the process of writing the book, what drew her to travel writing, and why she's a firm believer in claiming space for unheard voices and stories.

Image Credit: Penguin.SG

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For our last Book Club of the year, we're both reading something we're very excited about: Shih-Li Kow's Bone Weight and Other Stories. This cross-genre collection of 25 short stories explore relationships and periods of transition, and is populated with complex characters. We discuss how the collection works together as a whole, as well as some of our favourites.

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Salleh Ben Joned has been described in many ways - maverick poet, bad boy of Malaysian literature, innovator of language, and by some detractors, even anti-Malaysian. Since his passing in 2020, there have been a number of attempts to memorialise him and capture his legacy, and "Salleh Ben Joned - Truth, Beauty, Amok and Belonging" comes from a very personal place - written by his daughter Anna Salleh, a writer and musician herself, the book looks back at both Salleh's life and his works. We speak to Anna about the process of writing the book, and her own journey through her discovery of her father's legacy. 

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GTLF is back, and this year the theme is Terra Incognita! We speak to Pauline Fan and Adriana Nordin Manan about the curatorial process this year, how the festival has expanded beyond panels and conversations, and what unknown territories they're hoping to explore. And then in Footnotes, they each give their recommendations for 3 unmissable festival events.

Image Credit: https://www.georgetownlitfest.com/

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In this episode, we explore Malaysian Tamil writing - both the rich tradition that exists here, but also the challenges in nurturing the scene and garnering a wider readership. We’re joined by Mannar Mannan Maruthai, who gives us an introduction to the scene, and shares recommendations, including works by Mydin Sultan, Re. Karthigesu, Pachai Balan, and S.P. Bama.

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As Children's Day in Malaysia is traditionally celebrated every last Saturday of October, we're celebrating children's literature this entire month, by doing a Book Club with a different child every week. In this episode, we're joined by 14-year-old Lily Lau, whose choice is the Newbery Prize-winning classic, The Giver. A book that is simultaneously an adventure story, but also a meditation on memory and authoritarianism, The Giver has been recommended almost as often as it's made its way onto banned lists. We speak to Lily about what she enjoys about the book, and how it's affected her as a reader.

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As Children's Day in Malaysia is traditionally celebrated every last Saturday of October, we're celebrating children's literature this entire month, by doing a Book Club with a different child every week. In this episode, we're joined by 8-year-old Declan Goh, whose pick is a perennial favourite of children worldwide: Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree. We talk about what Declan enjoys about the book, but also speculate about what the tree itself could be (a portal? A gateway to different dimensions?). Declan also shares some lands and creations that he'd like to see, in the Faraway Tree universe.

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As Children's Day in Malaysia is traditionally celebrated every last Saturday of October, we're celebrating children's literature this entire month, by doing a Book Club with a different child every week. In this episode, we're joined by 10-year-old Lana Sofia Pointon, who suggested we talk about the book that started a phenomenon: Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone by J.K. Rowling. Lana (who hasn't read the rest of the series!) talks to us about the magic and adventure in the story, and who her favourite characters are, as well as why she's looking forward to more from the Wizarding World.

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