1. Adibah Amin
Adibah Amin was born on February 19 1936. She is an
educator, linguist , journalist, author of the Malay language and English , and
also an actor in Malaysia . Seri Delima is her pen name. Her works include
three novels in Malay (Classic Pure Lotus Still In The Pool, Place Fell Again
Remembered) along with more than 200 drama radio ("A 10 is good," he
said humbly to the magazine Asiaweek ) , and a number of short stories. In
English , she wrote for the newspaper The Star , but now most remembered for
his column "As I Was Passing" written while he worked for the
newspaper New Straits Times . Most recently, in November 2006, Adina giving her
first novel in English, "This End of the Rainbow" featuring the lives
of several students from around the 50s. His novel "Still in the Lotus Pond"
has been translated into Japanese with the title "No Hana wa Mada Surojya
Ni Ike (1986)." Adibah has also translated several works of literary
writers including No Harvest boots Malaysia A Malaysian National Laureate Thorn
writing Shannon Ahmad (original title The road twists) and Jungle of Hope
Malaysian National Laureate writing, Keris Mas original title, the Forest of
Hope). As of 2006, Adina still actively writes mainly educational articles in
the newspaper (The Star).
As I was Passing I and II are books which I would recommend everyone to
read. Put in an amusing anecdotes format, readers will be enthralled by
the way the author, Adibah Amin has crafted her book with so much
warmth, love and understanding. She used her family, friends and
neighbors as subjects for her books to sum up the heart and soul of
Malaysian lifestyle and idiosyncrasies. As I Was Passing I and II are
compilations of Adibah’s column of the same name published in The New
Straits Times in the 1970s and 1980s under her pen name, Sri Delima.
Relevant today as it was then, Adibah prose and writings makes an
interesting read. She analyzed the Malaysian culture with a humorous
angle, always adding a light twist to her musings. The reader will thus
realize that she is affectionately appreciative of the events and
experiences that shape Malaysian life.
With such books, there is usually a moral behind the stories and here, we can find that characteristic. The reader may not quite realize it until they came to the end of the story. At this point, most will laugh heartily over it. She crafted the stories to encompass the emotions and beliefs of her subject never in a heavy-handed manner but always in a light touch, not to offend the reader.
With such books, there is usually a moral behind the stories and here, we can find that characteristic. The reader may not quite realize it until they came to the end of the story. At this point, most will laugh heartily over it. She crafted the stories to encompass the emotions and beliefs of her subject never in a heavy-handed manner but always in a light touch, not to offend the reader.
2. Lee Su Kim
Dr. Lee Su Kim is Associate Professor of English at the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She holds a B. Arts (Hons) degree in English, Diploma in Education (TESL) and Masters in Education from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston.
She is a founder member and the first woman President of the Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor.
She was a columnist for The Star, a leading English newspaper in
Malaysia for three years. She was an invited writer to the prestigious
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival at Ubud, Bali, 2009.
Kebaya Tales is a delightful collection of short stories, teeming
with fascinating and interesting characters, unexpected twists and
turns, cultural rituals, beliefs and superstitions and poignant events
in the life stories of the Peranakans.
Lee Su Kim’s book brings you into another world, a world that many know little about—the world of the Babas and Nyonyas or the Straits Chinese, a colourful, flamboyant and unique community still in existence today in the former Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Like her previous books, Lee Su Kim’s stories in this book are laced with humour and occasional gentle satire. All the stories are based on or are inspired by real-life events which Su Kim has collected from her nyonya mother, grandmother, bibiks and nyonyas.
This is a first-ever collection of short stories of a unique cultural community, at the crossroads as to its very survival, but presently enjoying a tremendous resurgence. Su Kim’s debut collection of stories are simply stunning and heartwarming, evocative of a bygone era and a cultural community renowned for its unique multicultural legacy.
Lee Su Kim’s book brings you into another world, a world that many know little about—the world of the Babas and Nyonyas or the Straits Chinese, a colourful, flamboyant and unique community still in existence today in the former Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Like her previous books, Lee Su Kim’s stories in this book are laced with humour and occasional gentle satire. All the stories are based on or are inspired by real-life events which Su Kim has collected from her nyonya mother, grandmother, bibiks and nyonyas.
This is a first-ever collection of short stories of a unique cultural community, at the crossroads as to its very survival, but presently enjoying a tremendous resurgence. Su Kim’s debut collection of stories are simply stunning and heartwarming, evocative of a bygone era and a cultural community renowned for its unique multicultural legacy.
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