The Curious Diary of Mr Jam

by Nury Vittachi

He tried to bring comedy to Asia, but everyone just laughed at him

Sam Jam’s whole life had been a tragic mistake. As a humorist in Asia he had repeatedly been sacked, blacklisted and chased out of buildings.

But he refuses to believe that his audiences of conservative Muslims, Communist officials, religious police and Asian citizens in general have no sense of humor.

This funny, poignant tale, which the author describes as “a novel for legal reasons”, is more than just laugh-out-loud entertainment. It shines an essential light on what global culture will look like as eastern ways of thinking start to dominate.

335 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2012

About the author

Nury Vittachi is a journalist and author based in Hong Kong. His columns are published daily, weekly in a variety of newspapers in Asia as well as on his website. He is best known for the comedy-crime novel series The Feng Shui Detective, published in many languages around the world, but he has also written non-fiction works and novels for children. He is also noted for his role in founding the Asia Literary Review, the Hong Kong International Literary Festival, the Man Asian Literary Prize, and was the chairman of the judges of the inaugural Australia-Asia Literary Award in 2008. Vittachi currently lives in Hong Kong with his English wife Mary-Lacey Vittachi and their three adopted Chinese children. Also writes under the name Sam Jam.

Reviews

[Ian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A gentle, witty, funny, slightly sardonic memoir - I enjoyed it a lot, especially because of the nostalgia it engendered in me for Hong Kong.

I always enjoyed Mr. Vitacchi's writing in the SCMP. This book pretty much makes it clear why that unfortunately stopped - he succeeded a little too well at bringing humour to Asia - and a lot of people in Asia don't like being laughed at. Cheers Mr Jam, I'll look forward to your next one.

[Aaron · Rating 3 out of 5]

Written in a diary format, this back cover describes this book as a "novel for legal reasons". But don't be fooled, it certainly reads like a memoir. The humor is often clever and subtle, not generally a laugh-out-loud kind of schtick but pleasing to read. and I do love the personality of the author that comes through - he's a very likable everyman type. The narrative, however, is very much slice of life...just as you might expect from serial journal entries. It makes for great bedtime reading, as each entry is very short.

I'd be curious to experience this voice in a true novel format, where Vittachi would breathe his wit and candor into a more traditional narrative structure. MR JAM was a book I happened upon by accident at a library book sale, and I'm glad to have become acquainted with this talented writer.

[Mars · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very enjoyable and funny book about Sam Jam (the author's pseudonym) and his experiences as a humorist in Asia. The author makes use of irony and amusing anecdotes to create this laugh-out-loud read. As the title suggests, this book is in the form of a diary. It spans a period of one year and is very much autobiographical--though it is described as "a novel for legal reasons". Moreover, "The Curious Diary of Mr. Jam" is about more than just Mr. Jam himself. Readers will also find that Vittachi delves into the history of humor in Asia, the differences and misunderstandings between East and West, the flow of culture from West to East, and how the direction of that flow is gradually starting to be reversed. "The Curious Diary of Mr. Jam" is both a fun and an interesting read.

[Laura Besley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Originally published in Time Out Hong Kong, issue 121, January 2-15, 2013

Sri Lankan-born author Nury Vittachi goes in search of comedy in Asia. Through writing a blog and various columns in newspapers and magazines, the Hongkonger aims to bring comedy to the masses and prove the masses want comedy. The Curious Diary of Mr Jam, which spans one calendar year, is witty with insightful comments on comedy, life and people.