Malay Sketches

by Alfian Sa'at

Longlisted for the 2013 Frank O'connor International Short Story Award Malay Sketches is a collection of stories that borrows its name from a book of anecdotes by colonial governor Frank Swettenham, describing Malay life on the Peninsula. In Alfian Sa'at's hands, these sketches are reimagined as flash fictions that record the lives of members of the Malay community in Singapore. With precise and incisive prose, Malay Sketches offers the reader profound insights into the realities of life as an ethnic minority. 2012 by Alfian Sa'at. Published in paper format in Singapore by Ethos Books, recorded by Storyside 2020.

Audible Audio

Published February 27, 2025

Reviews

[Ary アリ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Malay sketches by Alfian Sa’at, a Malay Singaporean, is a compilation of essays and short stories revolving Malay characters in Singapore. Some with the endings left hanging, while the others have no ending. I enjoyed some, like ‘ Second Take, Singapore by Night and Visitors’, but the rest just wasn’t for me.