Literature about Malaysia

In September I will visit for the first time Malaysia, I always get more information out off literature about ore coming from local writers than out of LP, RG and others, do you have a good suggestion?

thanks Rik

I love W. Somerset Maugham's Far East Tales. It's about colonial times, but it takes me straight back to Malaysia when I read it.

Anthony Burgess' "The Malayan Trilogy".

Oh, just saw "local writers"... might be difficult finding that kind of stuff in Belgium. You'll find heaps of both fiction and non- fiction in the big book stores in the malls of KL.

Thanks, for the good idea's, summer arrived in belgium, so long evenings to sit outside and to go for it ;-)

Rik,

Silverfish books has a website selling books from Malaysian authors. I recently purchased one of their books (from Borders in KL) called "I am a Muslim" by KL-based newspaper columnist, Dina Zaman. I have another book at home (a novel) by a Malaysian author about the various generations of a Malaysian-Indian family in ?Pahang state?. Think it is called The Rice Mother and is very good if you like that kind of thing. PM me if you want me to look up the author's name for you.

On the much lighter side, have some chuckles over any volume of Lat's cartoons which you should be able to find in bookshops like MPH in Malaysia, which present a pastiche of Malaysian life.

I love LAT too! These books only RM12 or so in Malaysian bookshops - a nice souvenir to take home with you.

Although you said local writers, you'll have fun reading some of the old colonial writers like Somerset Maugham. Anthony Burgess' "The Malayan Trilogy". is really great, but it's banned in Malaysia.
As #5 says, Dina Zaman's book I am Muslim is greaat, but it may not be very relevant to a first time visitor.