New Malaysian Essays
Encyclopedia
New Malaysian Essays is an annual Malaysian non-fiction
book series by Matahari Books
. It showcases previously unpublished essays on a variety of styles, from polemic to ode to memoir. Each book is mainly in English
but will contain at least one essay
in Malay
.
. edited by Amir Muhammad
and featured six writers. They are, in order of appearance in the book:
The cover features a detail from a painting by Ahmad Fuad Osman.
A book trailer was posted on Youtube
in conjunction with the launch, with the sound of firecrackers inspired by the launch-date's proximity to Chinese New Year
.
It was listed as one of the 10 bestseller
s for local English non-fiction for 2008 in Malaysia.
.
The cover features a detail from a digital artwork by Yee I-Lann.
The launch date of 4 July 2009 was a jokey reference to the essay by Yusuf Martin.
Non-fiction
Non-fiction is the form of any narrative, account, or other communicative work whose assertions and descriptions are understood to be fact...
book series by Matahari Books
Matahari Books
Matahari Books is a Malaysian publishing company founded in 2007 by Amir Muhammad. It specializes in Malaysian non-fiction and also screenplay books...
. It showcases previously unpublished essays on a variety of styles, from polemic to ode to memoir. Each book is mainly in English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
but will contain at least one essay
Essay
An essay is a piece of writing which is often written from an author's personal point of view. Essays can consist of a number of elements, including: literary criticism, political manifestos, learned arguments, observations of daily life, recollections, and reflections of the author. The definition...
in Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
.
Vol 1
Vol 1 (ISBN 9789834359614) was launched in February 2008 in Kuala LumpurKuala Lumpur
Kuala Lumpur is the capital and the second largest city in Malaysia by population. The city proper, making up an area of , has a population of 1.4 million as of 2010. Greater Kuala Lumpur, also known as the Klang Valley, is an urban agglomeration of 7.2 million...
. edited by Amir Muhammad
Amir Muhammad (director)
Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on December 5, 1972 in Kuala Lumpur and was educated at the University of East Anglia. He has been writing for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the New Straits Times.In 2000, he wrote...
and featured six writers. They are, in order of appearance in the book:
- Brian Yap's The Trouble with Malaysia, an election-era critique.
- Aminuddin Mahmud's Branding -Mamak Style, business tips from popular eateries.
- Burhan Baki's Yes We Must Move On: Theoretical Notes on Various Things Malaysian, a post-structuralist reading of local icons and conduct.
- Saharil Hasrin SaninSaharil Hasrin SaninSaharil Hasrin Sanin is a Malaysian writer, visual artist and blogger. An alumnus of Sekolah Alam Shah in Cheras, he studied Industrial Engineering at the University of Cardiff and graduated in 1998.- Published works :...
's Teroris Bahasa (in Malay) about the evolution and political neglect of language. - Amir MuhammadAmir Muhammad (director)Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on December 5, 1972 in Kuala Lumpur and was educated at the University of East Anglia. He has been writing for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the New Straits Times.In 2000, he wrote...
's Unwelcome Words, a mini-dictionaryDictionaryA dictionary is a collection of words in one or more specific languages, often listed alphabetically, with usage information, definitions, etymologies, phonetics, pronunciations, and other information; or a book of words in one language with their equivalents in another, also known as a lexicon...
of words not found in the official lexicon. - Sonia Randhawa's A Manifesto for Independence: Fifty Years to Merdeka?, a prescription for the future that is inspired by anarchismAnarchismAnarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations...
.
The cover features a detail from a painting by Ahmad Fuad Osman.
A book trailer was posted on Youtube
YouTube
YouTube is a video-sharing website, created by three former PayPal employees in February 2005, on which users can upload, view and share videos....
in conjunction with the launch, with the sound of firecrackers inspired by the launch-date's proximity to Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year
Chinese New Year – often called Chinese Lunar New Year although it actually is lunisolar – is the most important of the traditional Chinese holidays. It is an all East and South-East-Asia celebration...
.
It was listed as one of the 10 bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
s for local English non-fiction for 2008 in Malaysia.
Vol 2
Vol 2 (ISBN 9789834359683) features ten writers and was edited by Amir MuhammadAmir Muhammad (director)
Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on December 5, 1972 in Kuala Lumpur and was educated at the University of East Anglia. He has been writing for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the New Straits Times.In 2000, he wrote...
.
- Shanon ShahShanon ShahShanon Shah , is a singer-songwriter from Malaysia. He has released an album Dilanda Cinta on the InterGlobal Music Malaysia independent label...
's The Khutbah Diaries, about political IslamIslamIslam . The most common are and . : Arabic pronunciation varies regionally. The first vowel ranges from ~~. The second vowel ranges from ~~~... - Mohamad Tajuddin Mohamad Rasdi's The Architecture of PutrajayaPutrajayaPutrajaya is a planned city, located 25km south of Kuala Lumpur, that serves as the federal administrative centre of Malaysia. The seat of government was shifted in 1999 from Kuala Lumpur to Putrajaya, due to the overcrowding and congestion in the Kuala Lumpur areas...
, about the administrative capital - Ridhwan Saidi's Hari-Hari Terakhir Seorang Flâneur (in Malay), partly a manifesto about urban spaces
- Danny LimDanny LimDanny Lim is a Malaysian writer, journalist and photographer.- Published works :His articles and photography have been published in publications like Off the Edge , Malaysiakini, The Nut Graph and The Sun . His work has also been featured in the Far Eastern Economic Review but never in Asiaweek...
's Aku, Hang & Demo, a pictorial record of street demonstrations - Amir MuhammadAmir Muhammad (director)Amir Muhammad is a writer and independent filmmaker based in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. He was born on December 5, 1972 in Kuala Lumpur and was educated at the University of East Anglia. He has been writing for Malaysian print media since the age of 14, notably the New Straits Times.In 2000, he wrote...
's Of Jackfruit and Kings, about the monarchyMonarchyA monarchy is a form of government in which the office of head of state is usually held until death or abdication and is often hereditary and includes a royal house. In some cases, the monarch is elected... - Ann Lee's The Theme Park of Pulau Jerejak, about leprosyLeprosyLeprosy or Hansen's disease is a chronic disease caused by the bacteria Mycobacterium leprae and Mycobacterium lepromatosis. Named after physician Gerhard Armauer Hansen, leprosy is primarily a granulomatous disease of the peripheral nerves and mucosa of the upper respiratory tract; skin lesions...
- Amir Sharipuddin's Blue, Black & White: How I Survived National Service, a journal
- Yusuf Martin's Colo
urful Language, a critique of American influence in culture - Andrew Ng's A Cultural History of PontianakPontianakThe pontianak is a vampiric ghost in Malay and Indonesian mythology. It is also known as a matianak or kuntilanak, sometimes shortened to kunti. As with tiyanak of the Philippines, pontianak are said to be the spirits of children who died while being born...
Films, a survey of this horror film subgenre - Jac sm Kee's Boundary Monsters in a Time of Magic, a feminist reading of ghosts and new technology.
The cover features a detail from a digital artwork by Yee I-Lann.
The launch date of 4 July 2009 was a jokey reference to the essay by Yusuf Martin.