Southeast Asia's literature is a rich mine of creativity, and stories and poems are readily accessible to readers who wish to take a quick dip into the literature of their neighbors. This anthology is a regional collaboration between authors and publishers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, all nations that were founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), established in 1967. Together, the insightful and timely prose and poetry in this collection, a mix of original English-language and translations, expresses the contemporary Southeast Asian experience.
Adored this collection. It’s hard to rate a set of short stories by different authors, and there are definitely some I didn’t connect with as much, but on the whole such an enjoyable read. Was so glad to find this gem whilst living and teaching in Thailand, sitting drinking milk tea and perusing this was the perfect way to immerse myself in the culture! Some of the stories really made me sob (the robots) and I think the one about the two stars was maybe my favourite. Some really fresh, thought provoking stories that I perhaps wouldn’t have picked up had they not been in this anthology.