Little Basket 2017: New Malaysian Writing

Little Basket #2

by Catalina Rembuyan (Editor), Tshiung Han See (Editor), Lee Ee Leen (Editor)

Little Basket 2017: New Malaysian Writing is the second book of this planned annual anthology. It includes fiction, non-fiction, poetry as well as a comic and a photo-essay. It’s a tasty smorgasbord of what Malaysians are writing and thinking about while playing with our rich linguistic landscape. Food continues to be a strong metaphor, so tuck right in. As with the first volume, this book has a print run of 3,000 and won’t be reprinted.

Featuring work by:
Terence A. Anthony
Maizura Abas
Leela Chakrabarty
Leon Wing
Masami Mustaza
Elizabeth Gimbad
Hazieqa
Wan Phing Lim
Daniel Chow
Mahen Bala
Foo Sek Han
Sukhbir Cheema
Chuah Guat Eng
Edwin Kho and Julya Oui
Marcus van Geyzel
Subashini Navaratnam
Marc de Faoite
Kevin Lau
Hanna Alkaf
Satpal Kaler
May Chong

Genres: Fiction

176 pages, Paperback

First published March 10, 2017

Reviews

[Marc Faoite · Rating 4 out of 5]

Disclaimer - I am one of the contributors to this book.

This is the second edition of Little Basket: New Malaysian Writing, continuing in the same vein as its 2016 predecessor, collecting some of the diverse voices that make up Malaysia's budding literary scene.

The title is a bit of a misnomer since it also includes photography, and what I'm told is no longer correct to call a cartoon, but instead should be referred to as a 'graphic short story' (which actually means something rather different to me, but be that as it may).

The photos in question are from a series of unoccupied chairs - #sleepingchairs - by documentarist Mahen Bala. I'm not sure the print quality fully does these photos justice, but the variety of chairs and their contexts are an interesting take on something we all too often take for granted.

The writing is principally divided between short stories, and poetry. There are also a number of personal essays, mostly dealing with the question of identity, some, despite being articulate and tightly written, are bordering on self-obsessed and might be more at home on a blog than in a book.

I'm not going to explore every element in this collection, but I'll just highlight (in no particular order) a few of the pieces that stood out for me:

Hazieqa's - Stories 1, 2 and 3
Misadventures in Food by Marcus Van Geyzel
Pantang by Hanna Alkaf
Bhenchod by Satpal Kaler
And Crocodiles Lurk Below by Elizabeth Gimbad (with reservations - see below)

Though all the stories are in English several lapse momentarily into colloquial Malay (and other languages) - 'Ko pikir ko pandai ka?'

This certainly gives an authentic feel to the stories, but since part of the intention of this book is to introduce new Malaysian writing to a wider international audience (it was/will be distributed at international book-fairs in London, Frankfurt, and Tokyo) a glossary of the non-English terms might have been helpful.

In fairness, in most cases where non-English words or phrases are used they are either explained by the writers or understandable from the context, but in the example given above from Elizabeth Gimbad's story 'And Crocodiles Lurk Below' (there are several other untranslated Malay phrases in the same story) you either understand it or you don't. A dictionary or Google Translate won't provide you with answers either, but I will. It translates roughly as 'You think you're smart is it?'

Apart from the few I've listed above there are other examples of fine writing, but where the point of the story seemed to be, well, frankly a few just sort of fizzled out without reaching any real conclusion, more anecdotes that might be written well enough, but don't really stand up as stories.

A few pieces, one in particular sticks in my mind, felt a bit contrived, more like a vehicle for a particular agenda or message the writer wants to push, which is fair enough (the choice of character and context and outcome in my own story Temptation is far from innocent of such intentions). But having a message isn't enough to make a story. There has to be some substance beyond brow-wiping and chin-scratching.

On reflection, The Route to Education as I Track the Railways by Leela Charabarty deserves a mention. It's a lovely piece and explores Malaysia's fractious education system in an interesting way. The writing is solid, but I kept wanting her to push the analogy further (I couldn't help wondering if the writer was inspired by Colson Whitehead's Underground Railway) and include dead-end sidings, and hijacked locomotives dragging the trains in directions they were never meant to go, derailings, head on collisions, obstructions on the tracks, ... there was a lot more that could have been done with this piece and it feels a bit like a missed opportunity, but still an admirable and inventive story/essay.

Compared to other collections by the same publisher I found that in general the standard of writing featured here was higher than in the past, much higher in fact. Also there are a few new names, which is encouraging given the somewhat parochial nature of Malaysia's writing scene in English.

The best wine for last. My very favourite piece was the very last - a short poem by May Chong called 'Restless Leg' - wonderfully economic, comic, and magical and definitely one of the highlights of this varied but worthwhile collection. I've read it several times now and it sparkles just as brightly every time.

Conclusion: Definitely worth reading if you want a taste of Malaysian writing. Buy this book. Support Malaysian writing. You know you want to.

[Regina Ibrahim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hanya 3000 cetakan tanpa ulangan. Ada dua tiga kisah yang menarik. Ada yang bagaikan syok sendiri. Lebih kurang 20 karya yang terkumpul diedit oleh 4 editor terpilih. Ianya masih okay sekiranya separuh dari kumpulan karya masih menyeronokan untuk dibaca. Tidaklah ada apa apa yang extravaganza cuma ianya berdasarkan resah hati kisah di Malaysia dengan gaya Bahasa Inggeris masing masing.

- Temptation by Marc De faoite
- Pantang by Hanna Alkaf
- Odious Uncle Khong by Maizura Abas
- You can;t make nasi lemak with sushi rice by Masami Mustaza
- Bhenchod by Satpal Kaler

The above titles are my selection. The rest are still nice to be read.

[hans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love this one more than Little Basket 2016. It was said that there's no theme for this one but I could see that most of it focused on one's culture and race as well as local customs and concerns, which making it quite interesting and full of mixture. I love most of the stories-- straightforward, in between humorous and seriousness, quite short with simple slice of life plot. Few of my favorite-- Stories 1, 2 and 3 (Hazieqa), You Can't Make Nasi Lemak With Sushi Rice (Masami Mustaza), Sons And Daughters (Daniel Chow) and Pantang (Hanna Alkaf). I like that few were non-fiction too (my favorite "Broken English As First Language" by Terence A. Anthony). Also, the illustrative and graphic contents were very much interesting too.

Whimsical yet 'traditional' (making me hungry as well). Nice collection!

[Joni Chng · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have read several of Fixi Novo's anthologies and this one is hands down the best compilation so far. I rarely find books that I feel deserve a 5-star rating, but Little Basket 2017 definitely is one of the few; even the sub-par entries are a notch above the stories in their other anthologies I have previously read. There's a nice mix of fiction and non-fiction prose, with a number of entries that seem to blur the lines between what's autobiographical and made up. A few poetry and visual works are thrown in for good measure.

If this is what represents New Malaysian Writing, we should be proud.

Personal notable favorites are:

* The Route to Education as I track the Railways - Leela Chakrabarty
* TOK KOK: Dissecting Toleransi - Sukhbir Cheema
* Misadventures in Food - Marcus van Geyzel
* You Can't Make Nasi Lemak with Sushi Rice - Masami Mustaza

[Lorraine · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's a little basket full of goodies. These contemporary Malaysian short stories are great introduction in reading more local publication. My faves would be the story about tolerance, the story about the identity struggles of a Malaysian-Japanese decent, the misadventures of Roti Canai, and the story about the struggles of a man in the midst of his father's death.

"You are the light... until you became the fire and burned everything."

[Karen Patrick · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall rating: 3.9 ⭐

Little Basket 2017 is a collection of stories from Malaysian writers. Just like the cover implies, the writing is as diverse and flavorful as a basket of Malaysian kuih muih and treats. Each story has its own voice, flavor and distinct aroma. A discerning reader is bound to find something mouthwatering in this book.

The book starts with a very cheeky foreword and manifesto that proudly claims that the book is one of 3000 limited copies and won't be reprinted. The Fixi manifesto is proudly Malaysian which can alienate some readers or welcome them (I felt welcomed!). It is funny, non-apologetic and contains jokes, slangs and cultural quips that are instantly recognizable to our multicultural community (yes, yes we know Malaysians love money! The book cheekily alludes to this at the back by boldly inviting other Malaysians to submit their stories for cash prizes. Got money lah!)

The writing is quite diverse. The majority of the stories are fiction but there is non-fiction, memoirs, poetry, photography and even a short comic. I did not like all of the stories because some were not to my taste. But there were some truly excellent ones that made me sort of sit up and go, "Whoa, whoa. This! This is the tiger in the jungle we have been waiting for."

Some of the stories in there were great. Others were not to my taste since the writing was a little simplistic or the stories felt like they had no clear climax or conflict. Then again, that is just my own opinion! Other people may like them better!

These are the stories that I liked best:

Pantang by Hanna Alkaf
And Crocodiles Lurk Below by Elizabeth Gimbad
TOK KOK: Dissecting Toleransi - Sukhbir Cheema
Marc de Faoite’s Temptation
Wan Phing Lim’s Snake Bridge Temple

My favorite poem was Restless Leg by May Chong. The language, the imagery and the simplicity just captured my heart. I can't really explain what makes a poem special but to me, this one felt lovely. A leg wants to dance and trek moonlight inside, leaving footprints wet with dreams and adventure. I'm paraphrasing but you get the idea. It was just great.

Some stories were memorable gems with beautiful writing. The scenes are moody, almost noir in their wistfulness, potent in nostalgia. There are complex protagonists and scenes from typical Malaysian life that I liked a lot.

"TOK KOK: Dissecting Toleransi" scrutinizes the conflict felt by most Malaysians living in a multicultural society, balancing delicate questions of racism and tolerance with humor and friendship.

Hanna Alkaf is no stranger to my generation who already know her hypnotic, melancholic and poetic writing through The Weight of Our Sky and The Girl and the Ghost. Her story, Pantang was a quiet, sad meditative piece about a woman who has a miscarriage.

Elizabeth Gimbad's story takes place in Sabah and tells the story of 2 former best friends, showing how poverty, misery and being born as an illegal immigrant can change an entire person's life, turning a child bitter, defensive and emotionally abusive towards any friends she has. A very us vs them mentality was explored in this tale and the metaphor of the "crocodile game" was cleverly used in the end.

Temptation is perhaps the most stylistic out of all the other stories. Marc uses plenty of imagery, using his words to depict flashes of scenery. There are a lot of periods and sentences consisting of nothing but adjectives or emotions. His writing beautifully captures the conflicting and exhausted emotions of a taxi driver in Malaysia who is downtrodden in the very country he has moved to for a better life. I like how the words create flashing images in my mind of a scenery moving by quickly as though in a car ride.

Snake Bridge Temple feels special for a reason I cannot really explain. The protagonist is Chinese, rooted to his hometown and tied to the traditions of the temple that his family is tasked with guarding and upholding. There's just something about the descriptions, scenery and the meditative questions about life, death, materialism and ghost towns that make me believe the story could have been expanded into a novel if given the chance.

The stories have a sophisticated feel to them but are recognizably Malaysian. Slang words, Manglish, nasi lemak, kopitiam, lah, kah...you name it, all of these things are in there. It's very refreshing to see Malaysian culture in a novel!

Some stories are subtly critiquing social issues in Malaysia such as poverty, child abuse, education and racial relations. Other stories like Bhenchod touch on estrangement from an abusive father and a son learning to move beyond it. Some take pride in their heritage, embracing broken English and strength from a hard childhood. In a clever parable about food, one story poked fun at immigration, working overseas and racism. The poetry was quite subversive, powerful and abstract.

Lastly, I liked that one author (Masami Mustaza) wrote about her experience being mixed race and owning her identity because it is rare to see such writing in Malaysia. Seeing their experiences as part of this truly Malaysian collection makes me feel proud.

Overall, it's a great collection with interesting writers. I'd recommend you to borrow this at your local library or just check it out if you want a taste of Malaysian writing. This genre and industry is constantly evolving though so it would be fascinating to see where this will bring us in the future.

[Fadillah · Rating 4 out of 5]

“From a laborer’s stool to a king’s throne, all chairs are functionally the same. But in their state of being they reveal as much about ourselves as we care to read. But not just any chair, only ‘sleeping’ ones. Unused, unoccupied, abandoned, forgotten, sacred, discarded, broken, celebrated ; they remind us of ourselves and the roles we play in life, the things we build, the places we travel, and the many ways in which we function. Chairs are a sign of us. All of us”.
- #sleepingchairs by Mahen Bala (little basket new malaysian writing 2017)
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I actually like Little Basket New Malaysian Writing 2018 a bit better than 2017. Dont get me wrong both are equally the same in term of story and writing quality but if people ask me “which one?” I would say go for 2018. In this little basket 2017, we have about 21 short stories/anecdotes/poems that majority of Malaysians can relate to. Among the writers that featured here, big names in Malaysian Literary field like Chuah Guat Eng and Hanna Alkaf made the cut. I saw few names that i recognized because i have read many of their short stories before like Maizura Abas and Foo Sek Han. The book started strong with a story penned by Terence A. Anthony titled ‘Broken English as a first Language’. The author recalled his experience growing up in mixed heritage - A sarawakian with Iban, Bidayuh and chinese ancestry. Due to this, his code switching experience sometimes can be a blessing and a curse depending people’s perception. It gets worse when he encountered Malaysians that have english as their first language. Their english is impeccable and were considered the standard while the rest of us were known to use imperfect english. Another story that leave a strong impression to me is ‘Bhenchod’ by Satpal Kaler. “You taught me a lot more about life by leaving than you ever did by talking about it” - I wouldnt call this confessional although it has that vibe. The story is written from the POV of the youngest son, he noted his father changes from being the reliable one to the alcoholic one and eventually met his demise on his bed after few days. Now, after his passing, the narrator find himself slowly turning into his father, adopting his bad habit and understanding the lessons his father left behind. Hanna Alkaf, on the other hands, wrote the story of a motherhood. Only this time, the baby is not there. She died before the birth. As malay custom dictate, the ‘Pantang’ were required to proceed regardless there’s a baby or not. Hence, the herbs, traditional rites and the dos/the dont that the grieving mother has to abide. Elizabeth Gimbad wrote ‘And Crocodiles Lurk Below’ which highlighted the difference of language, slangs and evev customs. A childhood story of a Malay girl that shifted from Peninsular Malaysia to Sabah, East of Malaysia. She met Anna in primary school and become a best friend until Anna decided she dont want to befriend her anymore as they are no longer in the same class. What i like about this story is the author highlighting the term ‘Orang Semenanjung’ / West Malaysian used by Anna have double meaning depending on the context. It can be used to show that you are not one of us, you speaks different or you stuck out like a sore thumb and its obvious. ‘Tok Kok : Dissecting Toleransi’ by Sukhbir Cheema is another story worth mentioning in the review. The message were loud - Any misunderstanding or ignorance can be quelled if you ask and try to unlearn your prejudice. I would say some other stories by Masami Mustaza and Maizura Abas were strong too but i will let readers to read the book if they are curious enough to pick up the book. What an enjoyable reading!

[Ayunda · Rating 3 out of 5]

Before this book, I don’t think I have ever read any Malaysian writing before. Despite all the controversy surrounding Indonesians and Malaysians, I’ve always liked the people and the country. And reading this short story collection almost a year after last being home in Indonesia, it felt so nice to read something that feels so much like home. Because geographically, season-wise, and people-wise, though in this collection you can also see the uniqueness of Malaysians, they are not so much different from Indonesians. Especially aspects of familiar words and the weather, familiar terms and norms and activities present in the stories here reminded me a lot of home.

In general I think this collection is sophisticated and quite well-composed. There are stories, poems and even pictures, and some of the stories feel also similar to musings of a writer or just a small article. Every story had their own writer’s voices shining through, and it’s apparent that there are a lot of talent in modern Malaysian writing. My favourite stories include You can’t make nasi lemak with sushi rice, Broken English as a first language, and Misadventures in food.

Some of my favourite stories were the ones I read in the beginning, and I personally thought the first half of the book was much better than the second half. However it definitely depends on who you are and as with any other short story collections, each story will appeal to different readers, and it’s virtually impossible for someone to love every single story in this book, and likewise it is unlikely that anyone would hate all the stories in the collection. A writing style that really stuck to me (alongside the story and the characters of course) was Temptation. It was very different and unique and I’m very interested to read more stories by him.

All in all Little Baskets was a wonderfully unique collection that is fresh and a great start for my exploration of other countries’ literature. If you are familiar with South East Asian culture, you’ll probably love the references and the themes that remind you of the place. Even if you’re totally unaware of Malaysian culture, food, or people, I think some of the stories in this book will also grip you and give you an interesting overview on life in Malaysia.

[Alin Azuha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kudos to the one who got the magnificent idea in creating this Little Basket. *claps hand* I enjoyed this book very much and the cover of this book also looks good and cute. I personally love 2 of the short stories inside this book and I dont want to tell whom cause YOU have to read this book and what are you waiting for? Go get them fast-lah!

[Nyssnisacha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some works are memorable, some are easily forgettable. I personally love Hanna Alkaf’s short story called Pantang and another called Benchod. I feel like these two did a great job representing Malaysian culture/situation.

[Baljit · Rating 3 out of 5]

Benchod:
You taught me more about life by leaving than you ever did by talking about it.

See my other comments under activity.

An interesting collection which has great Malaysian flavor, without romanticizing our country. This is contemporary and edgy.

[Rehan Abd Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overall ~ nice..

[Alien · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

I like the 2016 better than this one.

[Siti · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wide spectrum of new Malaysian views. Relatable to the last words.

[Eunice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting variety – definitely puts the "new" in "New Malaysian Writing". Exciting to see how this evolves with time. Enjoyed being able to understand cultural references.

[Suthesh S. · Rating 5 out of 5]

No words, these short stories written by talented writers needs to get its own recognition. Too bad these books are published on limited numbers

[Amerul Aeyraff]

They’re few stories in this book that I like especially those related with Borneo. Halfway through the book, I some how lose interest in reading them. I do applaud the editors on getting writers from Sabah and Sarawak to share their stories as I feel that their stories make this book to be more Malaysian.