Cover Vanessa Chan, Erica Eng, Preeta Samarasan, and Karina Robles Bahrin share their favourite Malaysian authors and why
Vanessa Chan, Erica Eng, Preeta Samarasan, and Karina Robles Bahrin share their favourite Malaysian authors and why
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Vanessa Chan, Preeta Samarasan, Karina Robles Bahrin and Erica Eng share their favourite Malaysian authors and why
In a land where diverse cultures and histories intertwine, Malaysia’s literary voices carve out a unique space on the global stage. But which authors do our own storytellers turn to when they seek inspiration or solace? What is it about Malaysian stories in particular that resonate with these wordsmiths and their own literary endeavours?
In honour of Merdeka 2024, we asked four celebrated Malaysian authors, Karina Robles Bahrin, Preeta Samarasan, Erica Eng and Vanessa Chan, to share their favourite local writers, revealing why these stories resonate so deeply and why, in an increasingly globalised world, the distinct narratives of Malaysia matter more than ever.
Read more: 9 books by Malaysian women authors
Karina Bahrin
The award-winning author behind her acclaimed work of fiction, The Accidental Malay, Karina Bahrin also runs a thriving hotel and restaurant in Langkawi and believes that the human touch behind the most meaningful fiction is irreplaceable. “What makes a story resonate is the unique lived human experience and perspective of the individual writer,” she says.
My favourite Malaysian author is....
Tash Aw, because of the breadth of his work, spans different geographies, time periods, and characters who come from such a diverse range of backgrounds. The Western world is still rather biased towards certain stereotypes when it comes to publishing stories from the non-Western world. I always say that when it comes to Malaysia, the easiest way to sell a book to a Western publisher is to ensure it includes one of these factors: colonialism, World War 1 or 2, and ghosts.
While Tash’s first novel probably fulfils one of the above criteria, the rest of his work since has been more contemporary, tackling Malaysian characters and their lives even beyond the borders of our country and across different economic backgrounds. It is this broader representation of Malaysia that I think makes him one of Malaysia’s boldest writers today.
Malaysian stories matter because...
If we don’t tell our own stories, who will? It isn’t as if we are able to easily find ourselves represented in stories told by other people. There is nothing like the experience of reading a story that resonates with one’s own lived experience.
See also: Malaysian Author Karina Robles Bahrin on Winning the Epigram Books Fiction Prize 2022
The most instrumental people in my journey as a writer would be...
My parents. They are huge readers. One of my earliest memories was as a toddler, walking past a glass bookcase of the classics that my mom had procured when I was born. I remember dreaming of the day when I would be allowed to read those books.
I suppose it is this deep love of fiction that was instilled in me since I was so young that has spurred me to write my own stories. Because after a while, I realised that the stories I was reading didn’t represent me, and I wanted to read stories about people like myself, or rather people and places that were more familiar to me.
Preeta Samarasan
Above Preeta Samarasan with Zen Cho at a recent literary event at Tintabudi bookstore in August (Photo: Preeta Samarasam/Facebook)
Preeta Samarasan with Zen Cho at a recent literary event at Tintabudi bookstore in August (Photo: Preeta Samarasam/Facebook)
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Based in France since 2006, Malaysian-born author Preeta Samarasan has authored spectacular works such as the award-winning Evening is the Whole Day and her most recent work, The Tale of the Dreamer’s Son, set in 1960s Malaysia after the events surrounding the May 13 riots.
Her works are known to explore themes of religious freedom, racial politics and the power of ideals that shape us as human beings. “My journey to become a writer was both circuitous and gradual,” Preeta shares. “I think the most instrumental person in that journey was me: I had to give myself permission, I had to trust myself. I don’t think that could have come from anyone else, as validating as other people’s opinions of my writing might have been over the years.”
My favourite Malaysian author is....
I find it hard–and not just when it comes to Malaysia—to name favourite authors rather than favourite books. Very often I love some of an author’s books but not others. So here are just a few of my favourite Malaysian books: Kampung Boy and Town Boy by the great Lat; The Return by K.S. Maniam; and We, The Survivors by Tash Aw.
These books are very different from each other, covering different time periods and cultures, but I think each of them captures aspects of Malaysia that are unique to Malaysia. The characters and plots of these books simply could not exist outside Malaysia: they are wholly of a particular time; they do not think or talk like Americans with Malaysian names; their lives are shaped by their local and national environment.
Malaysian stories matter because...
Partly because there are still relatively few Malaysian stories. We are a young country, so we don’t have the venerable literary traditions of Ireland or India or France. Every new Malaysian story still feels precious to us, and to some extent this is good and necessary because there are so many types of Malaysian stories that haven’t been told yet.
That said, the older I grow, the less I’m interested in stories just because of where they come from or whom they’re trying to represent. I just want to read good stories now. I don’t automatically love a story purely because it’s Malaysian and attempting to depict a world familiar to me.
My special message for Malaysians back home...
I am generally bad at upbeat messages, and I don’t find this to be a particularly encouraging time in Malaysian history. If I could say anything to Malaysians, I would say this: dare to be angrier, dare to expect better of your leaders, dare to question more and make more trouble. We tell ourselves that we’re celebrating our freedom on Merdeka day, but what is freedom without freedom of the mind? What is freedom when there are so many things we’re afraid not just to say out loud but even to think?
Vanessa Chan
Above Vanessa Chan is the author of the internationally bestselling novel 'The Storm We Made' (Photo: Fady Younis)
Vanessa Chan is the author of the internationally bestselling novel 'The Storm We Made' (Photo: Fady Younis)
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Brooklyn-based Vanessa Chan, the Malaysian author of the internationally bestselling novel The Storm We Made, delivered a gripping tale of espionage in 1930s British Malaya with her debut novel, a project which she says originated as an assignment in graduate school. Speaking on the value of Malaysian stories in modern-day mainstream culture, she says: “You have to be able to see yourself represented in the world to feel like you have a place in it.”
My favourite Malaysian author is....
I believe that Hanna Alkaf’s The Weight of Our Sky should be required reading. It traces the history of the May 13 riots in 1969 through the eyes of a Malaysian teenager. I think it’s the most successful rendering of our history that’s ever been written (and I
say this as someone who also wrote a historical novel) – it is emotional, exciting, hopeful, scary, and absolutely beautiful.
The most instrumental people in my journey as a writer would be...
My father, who taught me how to read, which in turn got me to love the written word and want to write myself.
My special message for Malaysians back home...
Once upon a time being an independent nation was a dream, and now here we are. Dreams are just unwritten futures. Live yours.
Erica Eng
Above Photo: Fady Younis
Photo: Fady Younis
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Johor-based animator and artist Erica Eng rose to fame when her debut webcomic Fried Rice won the Eisner Award in 2020, making her the youngest Malaysian ever to earn this international honour. Hitting yet another milestone in 2024, she self-published the webcomic into a graphic novel, which came out in bookstores in March. The first-time author reflects on the validation of Malaysian stories and the importance of authenticity in one's writing.
My favourite Malaysian author is...
Lat. Growing up, I loved reading Lat’s work. His work conveyed a sense of humour balanced with emotional gravity that I really enjoyed. I liked that his stories felt authentic and specific to his experience—I felt encouraged to do the same in my own writing.
Malaysian stories matter because...
I believe everyone needs some form of external validation in order to feel valued and loved—whether that’s having a friend sit with you when you’re feeling sad or having your parents tell you that they’re proud of you, we need those kinds of experiences to live our fullest lives.
Seeing specific Malaysian experiences being reflected in stories that are told with quality and care is a way that we can feel validated, understood and less alone.
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Previously contributing to Esquire Malaysia, Expat Lifestyle and Newsweek, Tania oversees digital stories across Tatler’s key content pillars, also leading the Front & Female platform exploring issues and topics affecting women today.
