This month, we paint the town purple. Join Dr Vilashini Somiah and Rizal Rozhan as they discuss Dr Vila's new book 'Irregular Migrants and the Sea at the Borders of Sabah, Malaysia: Pelagic Alliance'. Listen to stories of how migrant women found strength, courage and empowerment through the sea.
What compels a writer to write? Is it an irrepressible need to tell a story, to delight in the play of the imagination, or perhaps as a form of escapism? In this conversation, Penang-born writer Wan Phing Lim, and Penang-based writers Regina Ibrahim and Marc de Faoite discuss the complexities of character and world-building in their short stories. They also explore the challenges of bringing a story to life and inviting readers to participate as co-creators in their little worlds of make-believe...
Anthologies are textual communities, a microcosm of a larger literary society. In this conversation, Anna Tan, editor of Penang-themed ‘Home Groan’, and Deric Ee, editor of ‘KL Noir: Magic’, share their thoughts and experiences on how they put together these recently-published anthologies. What kind of conceptual ideas and editorial decisions go into the making of an anthology? What do editors look for in the works they curate, select or commission? Anna and Deric also consider how their respect...
Muara, the Malay word for estuary, is a passage of fluidity and connection, where the river meets the open sea. Muara evokes a place where we find ourselves between the memory of land and the lure of the unknown deep. In these pages, writers engage in ideas and imaginings, interpreting the shifting shoreline of our realities. The ink we leave upon this topography are traces of ourselves, inscribing this moment in the ebb and flow of existence. A collaboration between George Town Literary Festiva...
Storyteller Heidi Shamsuddin takes us into the magical world of Malaysian folktales, offering two captivating tales for young listeners: ‘The Biggest Basket in the World’ is a strange and wonderful story of how a magical talking knife manages to persuade the laziest girl in the world to weave the biggest basket in the world. ‘The Tale of Hitam Manis’ is a dark folktale that contains the secret to harvesting the coveted tualang honey from the tallest tree in the rainforest. Recorded live during G...
A handwritten Diary was meticulously kept by Father Marcel Rouhan, the Director of the College General in Penang, during World War Two. While most Allied citizens were evacuated before the entry of the Japanese troops, the French missionaries remained behind as ‘neutral’ subjects. The Diary, therefore, is an exceptional eyewitness account of the Japanese occupation in Malaya. As a chronicle of stories of daily survival interspersed with descriptions of major events, the Diary teems with socio-hi...
Perbualan: Nur Adilla bersama M. Navin Sejarah panjang sastera Malaysia sememangnya rencam. Walaupun di mata negara sastera kebangsaan hanya yang berbahasa Melayu, kita sebaliknya menemukan kepelbagaian ketika turun ke ranah masyarakat. Karya-karya ditulis, kesusasteraan dibangunkan, dan aneka kenyataan diungkapkan melalui pelbagai macam bahasa. Salah satunya bahasa Tamil. Dalam perbualan ini, Nur Adilla mengintai seperti apa ekosistem sastera Tamil di Malaysia melalui jendela M. Navin, seorang ...
Paul GnanaSelvam and Danielle Lim in conversation with Vernon Adrian Emuang Can writing ‘cleanse the doors of perception’, as William Blake once said, and allow us to see life as it is? Singapore Book of the Year Award winner Danielle Lim and Malaysian writer Paul GnanaSelvam speak to Vernon Adrian Emuang about how their short stories open up our perception to the inner workings of the psyche, and reveal how the self is shaped by social forces. While Danielle’s writing examines the subtleties of...
Perbualan: Syed Omar Husain bersama Zakaria Ali Jika dicari satu sosok yang boleh memimpin kita menelusuri simpang-siur denai sastera dan seni Malaysia dari 1970-an hingga sekarang, maka kita akan menuju ke Zakaria Ali. Anak kelahiran Rembau ini sudah meninggalkan jejak-jejak di kedua-dua ranah yang sering berkait ini. Karya-karya beliau dalam bentuk puisi, cerpen, dan novel, malah terjemahan, mahupun seni rupa—barangkali menjadi wadah untuk beliau meneroka dan meluahkan beberapa perkara, teruta...
Perbualan: Badrul Hisham bersama Linda Christanty, Noor Azam Shairi Kewartawanan semakin ‘tenat’, bukan hanya kerana dihimpit politik, tetapi juga barah yang sedang merebak dari dalam. Mungkin kerana hidup hari ini yang selalu menuntut kecepatan dan kesegeraan dalam banyak hal. Kewartawanan ikut terjerumus dalam urusan jual beli perhatian. Mutu penulisan kewartawanan terkorban. Perbualan ini membawa pendengar menyelongkar genre penulisan bukan-cereka berbentuk kreatif yang tidak kurang penting d...
Marina Mahathir in conversation with Melisa Idris What is it like to be the daughter of Malaysia’s most iconic leader? Marina Mahathir speaks to Melisa Idris about her newly published memoir, ‘The Apple and the Tree: Life as Dr. Mahathir’s Daughter’. She reflects on the challenges of truth-telling in a memoir — digging past our own vanities and the stories we tell ourselves, the discomfort of writing in vulnerability, the difficulty of writing about family and loved ones, and on her hopes for th...
Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Juvita Tatan Wan, Nazry Bahrawi in conversation with Adriana Nordin Manan How can literature decolonize? How do we know we are actively and critically decolonizing and what marks an endpoint for it? If we are resisting certain narratives because they pin us under the yoke of colonialism, what narratives should take their place, and how can they come into conversation with one another? Kenyan-US writer and scholar Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Sarawakian cultural advocate and producer Juvita ...
Perbualan: Hafizah Iszahanid bersama Sheera Ghafar, Ruhaini Matdarin, Azrin Fauzi Resah gelisah hidup dalam dunia yang tidak menentu ini tidak lain tidak bukan menuntut kita untuk berkhayal dan terus-menerus membangkitkan semula pesona hidup. Cerpen adalah salah satu pintu masuknya. Melaluinya penulis mencipta dan mengawal keajaiban alamnya sendiri, dan pembaca dibawa untuk menjelajah. Namun, apakah pembahagian alam nyata dan tak nyata, atau cereka dan bukan-cereka ini, bermakna lagi buat penuli...
Jan Wagner in conversation with Pauline Fan A tea bag unravels into a cosmic vision; a swarm of insects dance like ancient inscriptions freed from stone. One of the most celebrated German poets of his generation, Jan Wagner’s poetry illuminates the everyday world with a sense of wonder and playfulness. In this conversation with GTLF Director Pauline Fan, Jan Wagner shares his thoughts on the magic of poetry, his poetic sensibilities and influences, and how a detailed observation of physical real...
Souvankham Thammavongsa in conversation with Sharmilla Ganesan Literature tends to view the experience of refugees and migrants through the lens of terrible tragedy or extraordinary achievement, with characters portrayed as victims or heroes. In her debut short story collection, ‘How to Pronounce Knife’, Souvankham Thammavongsa subverts these literary tropes and reveals refugees and migrants as ordinary people. In this conversation, the 2020 Giller Prize winner speaks to Sharmilla Ganesan about ...
Sanaz Fotouhi and Indrani Kopal in conversation with Shazmin Shamsuddin How does the medium of documentary open up possibilities of storytelling? What is the nature of the documentary lens through which a narrative plays out? Iranian-born Australian filmmaker, writer, and scholar, Sanaz Fotouhi, and award-winning Malaysian filmmaker, Indrani Kopal, speak to Shazmin Shamsuddin about how much of oneself is inherent when directing and filming a documentary, and how documentary offers viewers access...
Tim Parks in conversation with Eddin Khoo In this sprawling conversation acclaimed novelist, essayist and translator Tim Parks speaks to Eddin Khoo about his myriad preoccupations and diversions — writing across genres, translating Italian literature, on language and reading, and the politics of culture today. The conversation also invokes great figures of Italian literature and history as it meanders from a reflection on Dante in our times, to Garibaldi whose footsteps Tim retraces in his new b...
Perbualan: Faisal Tehrani, Azhar Ibrahim Sejarah panjang kepulauan Nusantara adalah sejarah perantau. Sejak berabad-abad, di kepulauan Sumatera, Jawa, mahupun semenanjung Tanah Melayu, orang-orang keluar masuk dan berpindah-randah atas pelbagai tujuan, baik untuk berdagang, membina keluarga, atau lari dari keluarga. Malah, kita mengenal banyak kata Melayu yang menggambarkan tindakan meninggalkan tanah sendiri ini: rantau, kembara, kelana, petualang, pelimbang, dan banyak lagi. Bagaimana sastera,...
Perbualan: Thira Mohamad bersama Kulleh Grasi, Clariessa Kesulai, Nelson Dino Kata-kata lahir dari kisah, seperti yang diceritakan melalui ensera Iban atau kissa kaum Suluk. Penulis dan penyair dari Borneo telah lama menjalin bebenang yang lisan dengan yang tersurat. Seperti apa rupanya karya yang disuntik oleh bahasa dan cara pandang alam tempatan ini? Lalu, bagaimanakah mereka menanggapi dan menimbang-nimbang hakikat kepelbagaian bahasa di kepulauan itu dalam membentuk jati diri?...
Perbualan: Jack Malik, Ainunl Muaiyanah Penyair hadir sebagai tukang bicara dan pembawa semangat zamannya. Mereka adalah orang yang terus-menerus berusaha untuk mencari kebebasan, bertelingkah dengan bahasa, dan membebaskan bahasa bagi mengungkap segala yang tidak terungkap oleh bahasa sehari-hari. Namun, tidak mudah untuk para penyair hari ini untuk lepas dari bayangan para pendahulu mereka, khususnya para penyair yang diangkat oleh negara. Bagaimana penyair hari ini, khususnya penyair muda, me...
Saleh Sepas in conversation with Lilianne Fan In August 2021, Afghanistan fell once again to Taliban rule. What impact is the Taliban takeover having on the country's artists? How have the long histories of war shaped the forms and content of Afghanistan's literary expression? What challenges do writers face in a society where art itself is perceived as a transgression? Lilianne Fan speaks to Kabul-born playwright and theatre director Saleh Sepas about the trials of writing under the shadows of ...
Perbualan: Eka Kurniawan, Wan Nor Azriq Dua orang pengarang prolifik Malaysia dan Indonesia bertemu secara maya. Mereka mula berdialog tentang proses kepengarangan masing-masing. Di pertengahan, kedua-duanya singgah ke karya-karya sendiri, menanggapi seperti apa wajah dan semangat karya-karya mereka yang sudah menjelma dalam bahasa-bahasa asing, khususnya Inggeris. Di penghujung, kita diajak untuk membayangkan bagaimana, pada waktu yang tidak menentu, dua negara serumpun ini tetap mampu berkongs...
Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee in conversation with Nithiya Muthusamy Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee’s book, ‘The Town Slowly Empties’, charts his thoughts through several months of pandemic and lockdown in New Delhi. Reflections on life, culture and society around him intertwine with meditations on an eclectic and worldly range of artistic and literary sources. Manash speaks to Nithiya Muthusamy about the discontents and paradoxes that plague the various themes in his book — Memory, History, Love, Frie...
Minae Mizumura in conversation with Pauline Fan Minae Mizumura, one of Japan’s most distinguished writers, was profoundly shaped by the cultural and linguistic shores of Japan and the United States. Boldly contemporary and often experimental, her writing nevertheless engages with and builds upon the literary past. Underlying all her work is a deep concern with the nuances of language. In this conversation with GTLF Director Pauline Fan, Minae Mizumura reflects on the forms and subjects of her fi...
Bacaan petikan novel S. Othman Kelantan oleh: Wan Hanafi Su Kehidupan nelayan pesisir di Pantai Sabak merungkai tentang derita kaum nelayan bukan sahaja menghadapi Angin Timur Laut yang menghalang mereka mencari rezeki berbulan lamanya, tetapi juga penindasan lintah darat serta manusia berkepentingan yang tidak kenal belas kasihan. Saleh berjuang mencari nafkah untuk isteri dan anak-anaknya, mengharungi semua rintangan dan khianat. Tetapi kemiskinan adalah lubang gelap yang tidak punya jalan kel...
Ooi Kee Beng in conversation with Sharaad Kuttan Penang is home to the George Town Literary Festival and the cosmopolitan culture it has long hosted. Over the centuries, its people and cultures have been buffeted by global political conflict, social dislocation and technological advancement, for better and worse. In this conversation with Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director of Penang Institute, we explore if the assumptions underpinning the Island’s cosmopolitan impulses have been permanently disru...
Perbualan: Fadli Al-Akiti bersama Engku Roestam Alias, S.M. Zakir, Haslina Usman Di mana tumpahnya kuah kalau tidak ke nasi. Begitu perumpamaan buat tiga orang penggiat sastera ini. Mereka lahir daripada para penanda waktu-waktu penting dalam sejarah alam kesusasteraan Malaysia. Buat mereka, pintu masuk ke alam sastera pastinya berbeza: bukan hanya bilik darjah, tetapi langsung dari Usman Awang, S. Othman Kelantan, dan T. Alias Taib. Namun, sebanyak mana kuah yang tertumpah? Atau, apakah nasi di...
Tina Makereti in conversation with Lee Chwi Lynn How can fiction be a force against collective forgetting? Tina Makereti’s powerful fiction unearths buried narratives, untold stories, and family histories. The two-time winner of the Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards speaks to Lee Chwi Lynn about the themes that recur in her work and the effect of her mixed heritage on her writing. Tina shares her process for writing historical fiction and the role that stories play in informing one's sense of belon...
Giuliana Nuvoli and Masturah Alatas in conversation with Andrea Paduano GTLF pays tribute to the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri, commemorating the 700th anniversary of his passing through a celebration of his life and work. Dante’s ‘Divine Comedy’ takes us on a macrocosmic journey through the nine circles of Inferno, the terrestrial mount of Purgatory, to the celestial spheres of Paradise. In his epic masterpiece, Dante intersects the divine universal and the human individual, contemplating ...
Spirits, systems, control and release. How does one bridge the chasm between contemporary life and elusive memory-fragments of a past, to reclaim what was meant to be but never was? Renowned dancer and choreographer, Aida Redza, contemplates her search for a language to re-invent a lost lineage that aims to connect, to heal. Speakers: Aida Reza, Chee Sek Thim
