Schooling makes the man: A rural boy is transformed by the Penang Free School mystique August 27, 2025 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

In order to share in Datuk Tan Boon Lin’s penchant for education, we need to appreciate the social norms that shaped the people’s outlook during the British colonial rule of pre-war Malaya, when Tan was growing up. A key symbol of that colonial ethos was the missionary-run school, where Asian children were moulded by a band of teachers of legendary dedication and discipline into shining specimens of good breeding, ethical conduct and resourcefulness, fit for…

Pauline Fan, Beyond Redemption: Fatimah Busu and the Reckoning of Malay Literature March 27, 2025 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

On this terrible morning, everything is relentless – Fatimah Busu, “The Lovers of Muharram” An Ordinary Tale About Women and Other Stories, recently published by Penguin Random House SEA, gathers my translations of ten of Fatimah Busu’s most searing short stories. These narratives, steeped in the rhythms and struggles of rural Malay life, lay bare the quiet resilience and fierce defiance of women caught in the grip of economic hardship, gendered oppression, sexual violence, and…

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A Malaysian Ecocriticism Reader October 28, 2024 – Posted in: Reviews

To begin with, there has been significant theoretical work involving life-writings—an umbrella term that can include, for instance, the autobiographical novel and memoirs. Rather than to see such texts as presenting the “truth” per se, it is more rewarding to read them as literary representations, including how the “self” may emerge in textualised form. In this dynamic, ﬁction and auto/biography are more closely linked than they may initially appear–indeed, “our memories are always already textualized”…

A review of One-Legged Football October 23, 2023 – Posted in: Reviews

Carol Leon, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia From the outset, it is apparent that One-Legged Football and Other Stories authored by Patricia Lim Pui Huen is a labour of love. The book honours the memory of her husband Dato’ Dr. Lim Kee Jin, a man who dedicated his life to medicine and was an active member of JARO (Johor Area Rehabilitation Organisation) for many years, serving as its Chairman for forty-six of them. The proceeds…

Celebrating unique charm of Penang houses June 28, 2022 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

By Jeremy Tan Buildings are such a ubiquitous element of the urban environment that few give a second thought to how they were designed and constructed. From the inception of an idea on paper and then brick, there are countless processes and influences involved, especially in places like Penang which was at the crossroads of global trade by the turn of the 20th century. The confluence of cultures along with colonialism gave rise to a…

New book showcases Penang as ‘architectural cradle’ of modern Malaya May 31, 2022 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

By Marina Emmanuel Travellers and locals have come to realise that there is more to Penang than just solid historical structures wherever they turn. Thanks to author Jon Lim Sun Hock, the work of more home-grown architects is now showcased in his latest book –– The Penang House – Rise of the Malaysian Architect 1887-2017. The book, put together by Penang-based Entrepôt Publishing, talks about more than architects and architecture. Even non-students of history, conservation and…

Gary Lit shares late father’s story in ‘If the Sky were to Fall’ April 29, 2022 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

Intan Maizura Ahmad Kamal RETIRED academic and visiting professor, Gary Lit Ying Loong, better known as Gary Lit, presents the memoirs of his late father in his latest book, If The Sky Were To Fall, which offers a stark account of key historical events through the eyes of an ordinary citizen living in the Kinta Valley, Perak, during the wars of the 1940s and 1950s. Set against the backdrop of the most turbulent period of Malayan…

Contested space revisited: a review in International Journal of Heritage Studies by Creighton Connolly February 9, 2022 – Posted in: Reviews

The rapid pace of urbanisation and development and its impacts on the material fabric of Asia’s largest cities has brought about a growing recognition of the need to conserve the tangible and intangible heritages of their historic neighbourhoods before it is lost completely. Contested Space Revisited explores this dynamic in the UNESCO World Heritage listed city of George Town, Malaysia, and the challenges faced in both achieving and maintaining its World Heritage status. The book’s…

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Forest plants in watercolours: Malaysian artist documents Orang Asli knowledge and culinary practices January 12, 2022 – Posted in: In The News, Reviews

Vincent Tan28 March 2021, CNA KUALA LUMPUR: Seated at her home studio, Syarifah Nadhirah Syed Abdul Rahman carefully applied different shades of green watercolour for a daun semomok painting. Harvested from the forests, the plant’s leaves are used by the local Orang Asli tribes to season food. When cooked, its insect-like smell disappears and is replaced by a pungent, appetising aroma. “The communities I talked to also said that daun semomok only grows in certain parts of the…

Contested Space Revisited: a review from’Fabrications’ October 7, 2021 – Posted in: Reviews

Soon-Tzu Speechley, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia When Contested Space was first published by Lit Verlag in 2008, the book captured what felt like a triumphal moment in Penang’s history, coinciding with the city’s inscription (alongside Melaka) to the UNESCO World Heritage List. Jenkins’ book was the first substantial study of the process leading to George Town’s World Heritage Listing, and a valuable documentation of Penang’s rich heritage – both tangible and intangible. The book…

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