Some writers become emblematic not just of a particular type of writing, but of a whole era and culture. Joan Didion - who passed away on Dec 23, 2021 - was one such writer. While best known for her journalism and non-fiction writing, Didion also wrote numerous novels, screenplays, and plays. But more than that, her writing provided an incisive look at American culture and politics over several decades starting in the 1960s. We look back at and pay tribute to her life and work. See omnystudio.co...
Jan 11, 2022•33 min
We're kicking off the year by looking back at some of our favourite books and long reads of the year that was (2021), and looking ahead to some of our most anticipated publications of the year to be (2022). And then in Footnotes, we discuss our reading resolutions - what we'd like to continue, what we'd like to be better at, and perhaps some habits we're planning to kick to the curb. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jan 04, 2022•33 min
For our final book club of the year, we're discussing Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell's imagining of the love story between Agnes Hathaway and William Shakespeare, and the tragedy of the loss of their child, Hamnet. Playing with themes of agency, grief, and the undercurrents that connect life and art, it's a deeply poetic and emotional book. We're joined by theatre practitioner, Anne James, to talk about the experience of reading Hamnet, and the way it reframes the Bard's life, and makes Agnes (Anne) H...
Dec 21, 2021•32 min
From The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, to The White Man's Burden, Rudyard Kipling's literary legacy is a complicated one. While his skill as a writer and storyteller is widely agreed upon, his love of empire and conservative politics makes him an interesting figure to discuss in the post-colonial context. In this episode of Bibliography, we dive into the life and times of Rudyard Kipling, and the events that shaped his worldview and writings. And then in Footnotes, we discuss our favourite ad...
Dec 07, 2021•33 min
What is it like being the daughter of Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister? More specifically, what was it like for her to chart her own path that was often at odds with his, while also acknowledging the huge role he plays in her life? In her memoir, Marina Mahathir attempts to answer these questions with her own lens, taking us through events both personal and political from her childhood all the way to present day. We speak with Marina about writing the book, and the unique challenges of ...
Nov 30, 2021•34 min
Paolo Bacigalupi's 2010 novel The Windup Girl takes place in Bangkok in the 23rd century, in a world which has been ravaged by climate change, food scarcity, gene modification, and a dominance of companies owning the patents to seeds that can become much-needed crops. Add to that a plot with intrigue, betrayal and action, and you get a complex, dense read that has biopunk, dystopian overtones. We get into the story and science of The Windup Girl with Kenneth Chai, co-founder of Parti SAINS. And ...
Nov 23, 2021•33 min
With our borders slowly opening up, and travel becoming a possibility again, we discuss the pleasures of travelling via the pages of a book - whether through travel guides, the more personal travel memoir, or fictional accounts of travel. In Footnotes, we discuss the 2021 Booker Prize for fiction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 16, 2021•34 min
For the second year running, the George Town Literary Festival is taking place primarily online, with podcasts, videos and events taking the place of in-person events in Penang. We catch up with the festival's director Pauline Fan, to find out what they have in store, and how the lineup explores the theme of 'Mikro-cosmos'. And then in Footnotes, we discuss some feature articles we've enjoyed recently. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 09, 2021•32 min
Has there been one single author who has shaped as many young readers as Enid Blyton? With Children’s Day just past, we’re dedicating this month’s Bibliography to the life and works of possibly the best-known children’s author of our time. We discuss her tumultuous life, her approach to writing, the various criticisms levelled her way over time - and of course, our own childhood attachments to Blyton’s books. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Nov 02, 2021•35 min
In conjunction with Halloween, we're celebrating all things spooky, chilling and horror-filled. To do this, we asked six readers to tell us what their favourite scary reads are, and the answers range from Japanese classics, Stephen King, and books that have their roots in social fears and anxieties. And then in Footnotes, we discuss gory books and stories, and how they contribute to tales of horror. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Oct 26, 2021•35 min
A book about books and people who love books - on our book club! This week, we’re joined by fellow reader and book lover Satthiya Kandi to discuss Gabrielle Zevin’s The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry (2015) - a warm and engaging read that tells the story of a widowed bookseller who finds his life taking an unexpected turn when a mysterious baby is left at his shop. We discuss the novel and its pleasures, and then close the conversation off by talking about books that defy easy categorisation. See om...
Oct 12, 2021•33 min
Dorothy Parker once wrote: “If you have any young friends who aspire to become writers, the second-greatest favor you can do them is to present them with copies of 'The Elements of Style. The first-greatest, of course, is to shoot them now, while they're happy.” In this episode of Bibliography, we talk about the book that's shaped generations of authors, and then dive into the works of E.B. White, whose career spanned articles for the New Yorker, as well as beloved childhood classics like Stuart...
Oct 05, 2021•29 min
Often hailed as one of science fiction’s seminal books, Foundation is the first of Isaac Asimov’s series set in a distant future of interplanetary travel and galactic empires. In this novel, we’re introduced to mathematician Hari Seldon, and the concept of psychohistory, a field of mathematics that allows for the prediction of future events. We discuss the book, the particular kind of sci fi it pioneered, and whether it still has something new to offer. We close off the conversation with other r...
Sep 28, 2021•37 min
The King of Horror, one of the best selling and most adapted authors of all time, Stephen King is also a firm favourite in this book-loving corner of radio. Yet despite all this, he's always been something of an outlier in the literary world, with many critics not crediting his writing and influence. In this episode, we talk about why that is, along with the life and times of Stephen King, and the books we recommend. As always, in Footnotes, we pivot to discussing on-screen adaptations. See omny...
Sep 21, 2021•36 min
In the second of two episodes, we're using books and the written word to celebrate what it means to be Malaysian. We speak with four Malaysians and ask: What is a Malaysian book you would recommend, and why? What was your experience reading this book? And what does this book represent in terms of the idea of "Malaysian literature"? From poetry and new age fiction to imaginary creatures and folk tales, there’s something here for everyone! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 14, 2021•20 min
In the first of two episodes, we're celebrating and exploring our country and our national identity, through the lens of books and literature. We speak to five Malaysians and ask them: What is a Malaysian book you would recommend, and why? What was your experience reading this book? And what does this book represent in terms of the idea of "Malaysian literature"? Their picks span poetry, graphic novels and more! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
Sep 07, 2021•27 min
With a story set in Pahang that traces a family’s story from 1920 to the present, Catherine Menon’s debut novel uses the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter to examine the impacts of colonisation, war, and generational trauma. We speak with the author about returning to her family’s roots to write the book, and why she was so drawn to tell the stories of those who slip through the cracks of history. We close the show off with our thoughts on the book and the experience of readin...
Aug 24, 2021•36 min
With a story set in Pahang that traces a family’s story from 1920 to the present, Catherine Menon’s debut novel uses the relationship between a grandmother and granddaughter to examine the impacts of colonisation, war, and generational trauma. We speak with the author about returning to her family’s roots to write the book, and why she was so drawn to tell the stories of those who slip through the cracks of history. We close the show off with our thoughts on the book and the experience of readin...
Aug 24, 2021•36 min
A delightful autobiography from famed naturalist Gerald Durrell, My Family and Other Animals is many things: whimsical comedy, lovely family story, and loving ode to the flora and fauna of Corfu, which is where Durrell's family find themselves in the 1930s. We're joined by Wong Siew Lyn, Macaranga editor, to talk about the experience of reading this book, and the beauty of the writing. And then in Footnotes, we discuss the importance of reading books and writers in the context of their time. See...
Aug 17, 2021•32 min
What would happen if your estranged grandmother with a vendetta was determined that you help her see it through? Oh, and she's a ghost living in your head. That's the opening premise of Zen Cho's latest novel, Black Water Sister, but as the novel unfolds, it also encompasses Malaysian mythos and religious practices, superstitions, family ties and feminine rage and agency. We speak to Zen about bringing all these strands together. And then in Footnotes, we talk about the book and whether we enjoy...
Aug 03, 2021•32 min
For this month’s book club, we go on a literary journey both real and existential with Tania De Rozario’s genre-defying book inspired by both the multiverse theory and Pick Your Own Path novels. It broadly tells the story of a person facing the end of a relationship, while also contending with larger events happening around them - and each time the reader makes a choice, the story splits and takes you on a different path. We discuss the book both in terms of its format as well as its larger narr...
Jul 27, 2021•34 min
In his debut novel Tinhead City, KL, Malaysian writer Stuart Danker sets a cyberpunk thriller in a futuristic Kuala Lumpur with cyborg police officers and an authoritarian corporate government. We speak with Stuart about coming up with this world, and the process of writing a “Malaysian story”. We wrap up the show with a review of Tinhead City, KL. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 13, 2021•29 min
In conjunction with International Joke Day, we're highlighting and celebrating the books and writers that make us laugh - something much needed as we find ourselves right in the heart of the doldrums. We also discuss how tricky it can be to write funny stories, as opposed to telling them aloud, and why comics continue to be a great bridge when it comes to humour. And then in Footnotes, we discuss the specific joys of reading accompanied by images, and not just words. See omnystudio.com/listener ...
Jul 06, 2021•32 min
Psychotherapist and writer Lori Gottlieb’s memoir begins at a difficult point in her life, a time when she herself seeks out therapy to cope with her challenges. Thus, the book juxtaposes her own journey with therapy against her experiences with five different patients - and uses simple, accessible language and storytelling to make a case for therapy and mental health care. We review the book, and in Footnotes, extend the conversation to vulnerability as a theme in books. See omnystudio.com/list...
Jun 29, 2021•31 min
Pearl S. Buck was many things: daughter of missionary parents; a white woman writing primarily about the people and struggles of her adopted home, China; Nobel and Pulitzer prize winner; humanitarian. In this Bibliography episode, we dive into her life, work and legacy. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 22, 2021•28 min
Short stories often get short shrift - but far from being the novel’s lesser cousin, short stories bring joys that are entirely their own, and require a rather different approach to write as well. So, we’re dedicating this show to the short stories, and joining us for the conversation is Ling Low, who was recently shortlisted for the Commonwealth Short Story Prize 2021. We wrap up the conversation by recommending some short stories and writers to check out. See omnystudio.com/listener for privac...
Jun 15, 2021•32 min
Despite our best intentions, some books are harder to get through than others - and sometimes they even get set aside and abandoned entirely. In this episode, we explore all the reasons why this happens, and how modern life might be contributing to them. We also talk about the experience of returning to abandoned books and how that can be a rewarding experience. And then in Footnotes, we discuss an unpublished John Steinbeck novel, 'Murder at Full Moon', focusing on werewolves, murder and small ...
Jun 08, 2021•32 min
Monique Truong’s latest novel, The Sweetest Fruits, takes a unique approach to telling the story of Lafcadio Hearn, celebrated Japanese writer of Greek-Irish descent: the book is narrated by three different women in his life, from three different times and places. We speak with Monique about her process of researching and writing this story, and more generally, on the question of, who gets to tell a story? We wrap up the show with a review of the book, and our experiences reading it. See omnystu...
Jun 01, 2021•36 min
Elementary, my dear Watson. The game's afoot! The popularity of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's most famous character, Sherlock Holmes, continues to endure and echo until today. But the lesser known parts of the story are how Doyle grew to despise his creation; his interest in spiritualism and fairyfolk; his other historical writings. In this episode of Bibliography, we dive into his life and work, and then in Footnotes, talk about the many adaptations and versions of Holmes over the years. See omnystu...
May 25, 2021•34 min
Bestselling science fiction author Andy Weir, best known for writing The Martian, has just released his third novel, Project Hail Mary: an interstellar adventure about a sole survivor who wakes up in a spaceship with no memory of how he got there or what his mission is. We speak with Andy about the novel, its compelling plot and characters, and his love for infusing science into his storytelling. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information....
May 18, 2021•49 min
