George Town Literary Festival 2020 Through the Looking Glass, 26 - 29 November

This month, we paint the town purple. Join Dr Vilashini Somiah and Rizal Rozhan as they discuss Dr Vila's new book 'Irregular Migrants and the Sea at the Borders of Sabah, Malaysia: Pelagic Alliance'. Listen to stories of how migrant women found strength, courage and empowerment through the sea.

What compels a writer to write? Is it an irrepressible need to tell a story, to delight in the play of the imagination, or perhaps as a form of escapism? In this conversation, Penang-born writer Wan Phing Lim, and Penang-based writers Regina Ibrahim and Marc de Faoite discuss the complexities of character and world-building in their short stories. They also explore the challenges of bringing a story to life and inviting readers to participate as co-creators in their little worlds of make-believe. Recorded live during GTLF2021, 28 November 2021.

Anthologies are textual communities, a microcosm of a larger literary society. In this conversation, Anna Tan, editor of Penang-themed ‘Home Groan', and Deric Ee, editor of ‘KL Noir: Magic', share their thoughts and experiences on how they put together these recently-published anthologies. What kind of conceptual ideas and editorial decisions go into the making of an anthology? What do editors look for in the works they curate, select or commission? Anna and Deric also consider how their respective anthologies capture the distinctive spirit of place and people — of Penang and Kuala Lumpur. Recorded live during GTLF2021, 28 November 2021.

A handwritten Diary was meticulously kept by Father Marcel Rouhan, the Director of the College General in Penang, during World War Two. While most Allied citizens were evacuated before the entry of the Japanese troops, the French missionaries remained behind as ‘neutral' subjects. The Diary, therefore, is an exceptional eyewitness account of the Japanese occupation in Malaya. As a chronicle of stories of daily survival interspersed with descriptions of major events, the Diary teems with socio-historical details. The Diary has been translated, introduced, and annotated by Serge Jardin, a French author long domiciled in Malaysia. Join Serge Jardin for the book launch of Diary of a French Missionary: Penang during the Japanese Occupation, published by Areca Books. Recorded live during GTLF2021, 27 November 2021.

Muara, the Malay word for estuary, is a passage of fluidity and connection, where the river meets the open sea. Muara evokes a place where we find ourselves between the memory of land and the lure of the unknown deep. In these pages, writers engage in ideas and imaginings, interpreting the shifting shoreline of our realities. The ink we leave upon this topography are traces of ourselves, inscribing this moment in the ebb and flow of existence. A collaboration between George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) and Svara journal, Muara celebrates the 10th Anniversary of GTLF and Penang as a vibrant port and cosmopolitan city in the Southeast Asian region. Featuring essays, short stories, poetry, book reviews, and translations, Muara gathers established and emerging writers from Malaysia, the region, and the world. Recorded live during GTLF2021, 27 November 2021.

Storyteller Heidi Shamsuddin takes us into the magical world of Malaysian folktales, offering two captivating tales for young listeners: ‘The Biggest Basket in the World' is a strange and wonderful story of how a magical talking knife manages to persuade the laziest girl in the world to weave the biggest basket in the world. ‘The Tale of Hitam Manis' is a dark folktale that contains the secret to harvesting the coveted tualang honey from the tallest tree in the rainforest. Recorded live during GTLF2021, 28 November 2021.

Marina Mahathir in conversation with Melisa Idris What is it like to be the daughter of Malaysia's most iconic leader? Marina Mahathir speaks to Melisa Idris about her newly published memoir, ‘The Apple and the Tree: Life as Dr. Mahathir's Daughter'. She reflects on the challenges of truth-telling in a memoir — digging past our own vanities and the stories we tell ourselves, the discomfort of writing in vulnerability, the difficulty of writing about family and loved ones, and on her hopes for the future of this country.

Perbualan: Nur Adilla bersama M. Navin Sejarah panjang sastera Malaysia sememangnya rencam. Walaupun di mata negara sastera kebangsaan hanya yang berbahasa Melayu, kita sebaliknya menemukan kepelbagaian ketika turun ke ranah masyarakat. Karya-karya ditulis, kesusasteraan dibangunkan, dan aneka kenyataan diungkapkan melalui pelbagai macam bahasa. Salah satunya bahasa Tamil. Dalam perbualan ini, Nur Adilla mengintai seperti apa ekosistem sastera Tamil di Malaysia melalui jendela M. Navin, seorang penulis cerpen yang semakin diterjemahkan ke pelbagai bahasa ini. Kita kemudian dibawa untuk melihat bagaimana M. Navin menggunakan cerpen untuk mencabar hal-hal di sekitarnya.

Perbualan: Syed Omar Husain bersama Zakaria Ali Jika dicari satu sosok yang boleh memimpin kita menelusuri simpang-siur denai sastera dan seni Malaysia dari 1970-an hingga sekarang, maka kita akan menuju ke Zakaria Ali. Anak kelahiran Rembau ini sudah meninggalkan jejak-jejak di kedua-dua ranah yang sering berkait ini. Karya-karya beliau dalam bentuk puisi, cerpen, dan novel, malah terjemahan, mahupun seni rupa—barangkali menjadi wadah untuk beliau meneroka dan meluahkan beberapa perkara, terutamanya bahasa dan rasa. Kita mencari makna sastera nasional dan hal-hal lain seputar sastera Malaysia dari kacamata orang yang petah berbahasa Melayu, Inggeris, dan Sepanyol ini.

Paul GnanaSelvam and Danielle Lim in conversation with Vernon Adrian Emuang Can writing ‘cleanse the doors of perception', as William Blake once said, and allow us to see life as it is? Singapore Book of the Year Award winner Danielle Lim and Malaysian writer Paul GnanaSelvam speak to Vernon Adrian Emuang about how their short stories open up our perception to the inner workings of the psyche, and reveal how the self is shaped by social forces. While Danielle's writing examines the subtleties of personal relationships in difficult situations, Paul's stories bring to the fore the challenges of the Malaysian Indian community in our complex multicultural milieu.

Perbualan: Badrul Hisham bersama Linda Christanty, Noor Azam Shairi Kewartawanan semakin ‘tenat', bukan hanya kerana dihimpit politik, tetapi juga barah yang sedang merebak dari dalam. Mungkin kerana hidup hari ini yang selalu menuntut kecepatan dan kesegeraan dalam banyak hal. Kewartawanan ikut terjerumus dalam urusan jual beli perhatian. Mutu penulisan kewartawanan terkorban. Perbualan ini membawa pendengar menyelongkar genre penulisan bukan-cereka berbentuk kreatif yang tidak kurang penting dalam dunia penulisan. Apakah yang terjadi di pertemuan antara sastera dan penulisan esei bukan rekaan? Bagaimana juga sastera boleh menyelamatkan kewartawanan yang pernah menjadi pengasuhnya ini?

Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Juvita Tatan Wan, Nazry Bahrawi in conversation with Adriana Nordin Manan How can literature decolonize? How do we know we are actively and critically decolonizing and what marks an endpoint for it? If we are resisting certain narratives because they pin us under the yoke of colonialism, what narratives should take their place, and how can they come into conversation with one another? Kenyan-US writer and scholar Mukoma Wa Ngugi, Sarawakian cultural advocate and producer Juvita Tatan Wan, and Singaporean scholar and translator Nazry Bahrawi speak to Adriana Nordin Manan about the complexities of local and indigenous vs colonizing languages, written vs oral literature, cultural erasure, and crafting new narratives in a world ripe for rethinking and renewal. They also discuss what the decolonizing project looks like in corners of Asia and Africa, and the possibilities for solidarity between writers and translators across continents.

Sanaz Fotouhi and Indrani Kopal in conversation with Shazmin Shamsuddin How does the medium of documentary open up possibilities of storytelling? What is the nature of the documentary lens through which a narrative plays out? Iranian-born Australian filmmaker, writer, and scholar, Sanaz Fotouhi, and award-winning Malaysian filmmaker, Indrani Kopal, speak to Shazmin Shamsuddin about how much of oneself is inherent when directing and filming a documentary, and how documentary offers viewers access to stories they may never come across.

Perbualan: Faisal Tehrani, Azhar Ibrahim Sejarah panjang kepulauan Nusantara adalah sejarah perantau. Sejak berabad-abad, di kepulauan Sumatera, Jawa, mahupun semenanjung Tanah Melayu, orang-orang keluar masuk dan berpindah-randah atas pelbagai tujuan, baik untuk berdagang, membina keluarga, atau lari dari keluarga. Malah, kita mengenal banyak kata Melayu yang menggambarkan tindakan meninggalkan tanah sendiri ini: rantau, kembara, kelana, petualang, pelimbang, dan banyak lagi. Bagaimana sastera, khususnya sastera lisan dan tulis Melayu, baik yang dahulu dan sekarang, merakam tema ini?

Souvankham Thammavongsa in conversation with Sharmilla Ganesan Literature tends to view the experience of refugees and migrants through the lens of terrible tragedy or extraordinary achievement, with characters portrayed as victims or heroes. In her debut short story collection, ‘How to Pronounce Knife', Souvankham Thammavongsa subverts these literary tropes and reveals refugees and migrants as ordinary people. In this conversation, the 2020 Giller Prize winner speaks to Sharmilla Ganesan about the role of laughter in her fiction, her reorientation of ‘centre' and ‘margins', moving between poetry and prose, and how her writing is an invigorating refusal of pity. This conversation is supported by the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia.

Tim Parks in conversation with Eddin Khoo In this sprawling conversation acclaimed novelist, essayist and translator Tim Parks speaks to Eddin Khoo about his myriad preoccupations and diversions — writing across genres, translating Italian literature, on language and reading, and the politics of culture today. The conversation also invokes great figures of Italian literature and history as it meanders from a reflection on Dante in our times, to Garibaldi whose footsteps Tim retraces in his new book, and a personal recollection of the towering literary polymath, Roberto Calasso.

Perbualan: Hafizah Iszahanid bersama Sheera Ghafar, Ruhaini Matdarin, Azrin Fauzi Resah gelisah hidup dalam dunia yang tidak menentu ini tidak lain tidak bukan menuntut kita untuk berkhayal dan terus-menerus membangkitkan semula pesona hidup. Cerpen adalah salah satu pintu masuknya. Melaluinya penulis mencipta dan mengawal keajaiban alamnya sendiri, dan pembaca dibawa untuk menjelajah. Namun, apakah pembahagian alam nyata dan tak nyata, atau cereka dan bukan-cereka ini, bermakna lagi buat penulis? Bersama tiga orang penulis cerpen Malaysia bercerita tentang cara mereka menggambarkan dunia mereka melalui cerpen.

Jan Wagner in conversation with Pauline Fan A tea bag unravels into a cosmic vision; a swarm of insects dance like ancient inscriptions freed from stone. One of the most celebrated German poets of his generation, Jan Wagner's poetry illuminates the everyday world with a sense of wonder and playfulness. In this conversation with GTLF Director Pauline Fan, Jan Wagner shares his thoughts on the magic of poetry, his poetic sensibilities and influences, and how a detailed observation of physical reality reveals contours of the metaphysical. This conversation is supported by Goethe-Institut Malaysia.

Perbualan: Jack Malik, Ainunl Muaiyanah Penyair hadir sebagai tukang bicara dan pembawa semangat zamannya. Mereka adalah orang yang terus-menerus berusaha untuk mencari kebebasan, bertelingkah dengan bahasa, dan membebaskan bahasa bagi mengungkap segala yang tidak terungkap oleh bahasa sehari-hari. Namun, tidak mudah untuk para penyair hari ini untuk lepas dari bayangan para pendahulu mereka, khususnya para penyair yang diangkat oleh negara. Bagaimana penyair hari ini, khususnya penyair muda, menimbang-nimbang perkara ini? Bagaimana kita mengekalkan hubungan dengan yang lama, tetapi tetap mampu mencipta bahasa dan melahirkan suara sendiri?

Saleh Sepas in conversation with Lilianne Fan In August 2021, Afghanistan fell once again to Taliban rule. What impact is the Taliban takeover having on the country's artists? How have the long histories of war shaped the forms and content of Afghanistan's literary expression? What challenges do writers face in a society where art itself is perceived as a transgression? Lilianne Fan speaks to Kabul-born playwright and theatre director Saleh Sepas about the trials of writing under the shadows of armed conflict and displacement.

Perbualan: Thira Mohamad bersama Kulleh Grasi, Clariessa Kesulai, Nelson Dino Kata-kata lahir dari kisah, seperti yang diceritakan melalui ensera Iban atau kissa kaum Suluk. Penulis dan penyair dari Borneo telah lama menjalin bebenang yang lisan dengan yang tersurat. Seperti apa rupanya karya yang disuntik oleh bahasa dan cara pandang alam tempatan ini? Lalu, bagaimanakah mereka menanggapi dan menimbang-nimbang hakikat kepelbagaian bahasa di kepulauan itu dalam membentuk jati diri?

Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee in conversation with Nithiya Muthusamy Manash Firaq Bhattacharjee's book, ‘The Town Slowly Empties', charts his thoughts through several months of pandemic and lockdown in New Delhi. Reflections on life, culture and society around him intertwine with meditations on an eclectic and worldly range of artistic and literary sources. Manash speaks to Nithiya Muthusamy about the discontents and paradoxes that plague the various themes in his book — Memory, History, Love, Friendship, Nature, Modernity. Manash and Nithiya also contemplate the pertinent question: Have we failed to take on the pandemic's special opportunity for reflection and change?

Perbualan: Eka Kurniawan, Wan Nor Azriq Dua orang pengarang prolifik Malaysia dan Indonesia bertemu secara maya. Mereka mula berdialog tentang proses kepengarangan masing-masing. Di pertengahan, kedua-duanya singgah ke karya-karya sendiri, menanggapi seperti apa wajah dan semangat karya-karya mereka yang sudah menjelma dalam bahasa-bahasa asing, khususnya Inggeris. Di penghujung, kita diajak untuk membayangkan bagaimana, pada waktu yang tidak menentu, dua negara serumpun ini tetap mampu berkongsi cerita.

Perbualan: Fadli Al-Akiti bersama Engku Roestam Alias, S.M. Zakir, Haslina Usman Di mana tumpahnya kuah kalau tidak ke nasi. Begitu perumpamaan buat tiga orang penggiat sastera ini. Mereka lahir daripada para penanda waktu-waktu penting dalam sejarah alam kesusasteraan Malaysia. Buat mereka, pintu masuk ke alam sastera pastinya berbeza: bukan hanya bilik darjah, tetapi langsung dari Usman Awang, S. Othman Kelantan, dan T. Alias Taib. Namun, sebanyak mana kuah yang tertumpah? Atau, apakah nasi di pinggan sudah digenang kuah? Dengari bagaimana Fadli Al-Akiti menyelidik persamaan dan perbezaan, serta pertengkaran dan perdamaian antara kerja sastera dan karya ketiga-tiga anak sasterawan ini dengan segala yang ditinggalkan oleh para pendahulu mereka.

Ooi Kee Beng in conversation with Sharaad Kuttan Penang is home to the George Town Literary Festival and the cosmopolitan culture it has long hosted. Over the centuries, its people and cultures have been buffeted by global political conflict, social dislocation and technological advancement, for better and worse. In this conversation with Ooi Kee Beng, Executive Director of Penang Institute, we explore if the assumptions underpinning the Island's cosmopolitan impulses have been permanently disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Bacaan petikan novel S. Othman Kelantan oleh: Wan Hanafi Su Kehidupan nelayan pesisir di Pantai Sabak merungkai tentang derita kaum nelayan bukan sahaja menghadapi Angin Timur Laut yang menghalang mereka mencari rezeki berbulan lamanya, tetapi juga penindasan lintah darat serta manusia berkepentingan yang tidak kenal belas kasihan. Saleh berjuang mencari nafkah untuk isteri dan anak-anaknya, mengharungi semua rintangan dan khianat. Tetapi kemiskinan adalah lubang gelap yang tidak punya jalan keluar. Malah kemiskinan juga menukarkan watak manusia menjadi haiwan. Angin Timur Laut melukiskan kehidupan dengan seni yang hidup sekali. Novel ini adalah mahakarya S. Othman Kelantan. Bacaan ini disokong oleh Nusa Centre.

Tina Makereti in conversation with Lee Chwi Lynn How can fiction be a force against collective forgetting? Tina Makereti's powerful fiction unearths buried narratives, untold stories, and family histories. The two-time winner of the Ngā Kupu Ora Māori Book Awards speaks to Lee Chwi Lynn about the themes that recur in her work and the effect of her mixed heritage on her writing. Tina shares her process for writing historical fiction and the role that stories play in informing one's sense of belonging and self. This conversation is supported by the High Commission of New Zealand in Malaysia.

Minae Mizumura in conversation with Pauline Fan Minae Mizumura, one of Japan's most distinguished writers, was profoundly shaped by the cultural and linguistic shores of Japan and the United States. Boldly contemporary and often experimental, her writing nevertheless engages with and builds upon the literary past. Underlying all her work is a deep concern with the nuances of language. In this conversation with GTLF Director Pauline Fan, Minae Mizumura reflects on the forms and subjects of her fiction, her grappling with language and literature, and her momentous decision to return to Japan and write in Japanese. This conversation is supported by the Japan Foundation Kuala Lumpur.

Giuliana Nuvoli and Masturah Alatas in conversation with Andrea Paduano GTLF pays tribute to the great Italian poet Dante Alighieri, commemorating the 700th anniversary of his passing through a celebration of his life and work. Dante's ‘Divine Comedy' takes us on a macrocosmic journey through the nine circles of Inferno, the terrestrial mount of Purgatory, to the celestial spheres of Paradise. In his epic masterpiece, Dante intersects the divine universal and the human individual, contemplating eternal questions of life, death and the afterlife. In this conversation, eminent scholar of Italian literature, Giuliana Nuvoli, and Italy-based Malaysian writer Masturah Alatas discuss the enduring legacy and influence of Dante in Italy and the world, including the question of Dante and Islam. This conversation is supported by the Embassy of Italy in Malaysia.

Spirits, systems, control and release. How does one bridge the chasm between contemporary life and elusive memory-fragments of a past, to reclaim what was meant to be but never was? Renowned dancer and choreographer, Aida Redza, contemplates her search for a language to re-invent a lost lineage that aims to connect, to heal. Speakers: Aida Reza, Chee Sek Thim

Fahmi Mustaffa dan Mislina Mustaffa, dua orang penulis dan penggiat seni yang menetap di Pulau Pinang, membacakan petikan daripada Sulalatus Salatin. Pembicara: Fahmi Mustafa, Mislina Mustaffa

COVID-19 has wounded people the world over in untold ways. Although some wounds may never truly heal, there is always hope for healing and change. In this podcast, travel writer Marco Ferrarese shares his first-hand experience of this pandemic with the loss of his beloved parents in the killing fields while he was stuck in Peru due to global border control orders. Listen to his story, how this has affected his work, and his take on what the future holds for travel writers. Speakers: Marco Ferrarese, Ruzanna M. Zuknik

Jika sejarah panjang filem Melayu ibarat seutas rantai emas, suasa yang menyulaminya adalah kosmopolitanisme. Manusia hidup dalam sebuah masyarakat dunia adalah citra yang sering di papar dalam filem Melayu sejak dari zaman studio lagi. Namun, manusia sudah terhantuk pada dinding kaca yang telah memantulkannya kembali ke belakang. Semakin terhubung masyarakat dunia, semakin ke dalam cara pandangnya. Kosmopolitanisme kini di asak oleh parokialisme dan nasionalisme sempit. Apakah ini yang sedang terjadi dalam filem Melayu hari ini? Bersama dua sosok filem terkemuka Malaysia, Al Jafree Md Yusop dan Hassan Muthalib, memeta salasilah filem Melayu dan membedah tema-tema utama filem-filem masyarakat Malaysia hari ini. Pembicara: Al Jafree Md Yusop, Hassan Muthalib

Wanda Nanibush is the current Curator of Indigenous art at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Canada, as well as an author, educator & community organiser. She speaks to Malaysian curator Sharmin Parameswaran on the continued importance of Indigenous art in bringing forth the collective experience and knowledge of people to our contemporary lives. Additionally, how Indigenous Canadian artists are expressing out loud against authoritarian states. This podcast is supported by the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia. Speakers: Wanda Nanibush, Sharmin Parameswaran

Setelah Tinju dan Peluru selesai diterbitkan, Johan Radzi, seorang penulis asal Kuala Lumpur, mengambil keputusan untuk keluar seketika dari dunia fiksyen dan berpindah ke bukan fiksyen. Di situ, peguam muda ini bertemu dengan dirinya di kota-kota utama di Asia Tenggara. Beliau mencatat pemerhatiannya terhadap kebudayaan-kebudayaan yang asing bagi dirinya. Kemudian lahirlah Stesen Titik Nol. Noor Azam Shairi berbual dengan Johan Radzi tentang bagaimana gamaknya menulis sambil mengembara dan kesan pandemik terhadap genre penulisan travelog. Pembicara: Johan Radzi, Noor Azam Shairi

The world of comics, graphic novels, and illustrations in Southeast Asia has been gaining its fair share of global attention. These visual mediums have provided markers of national identity, such as that found in Lat's cartoons, and have continuously informed our imaginations and realities. But what is it that makes these ways of storytelling so treasured? And how do they inform our collective and individual ways of seeing and thinking? Join Eisner award-winning comic artist, Erica Eng and New Naratif Comics and Illustrations Editor, Charis Loke as we explore these question and their personal approaches to the visual form. Speakers: Karl Nadzarin, Erica Eng, Charis Loke Notes: 1. For more on the idea of drawing as seeing and thinking, see John Berger's wonderful essays 'To Take Paper, To Draw' and 'The Basis of All Painting and Sculpture is Drawing' which can both be found in the Verso publication of Landscapes: John Berger on Art. 2. Charis's Bersih rally sketches can be found here, while her GE14 sketches are on New Naratif (A Tale of Three Ceramahs; A Little Night Music; A Nation Votes). 3. Read Shaun Tan's thoughts on his seminal wordless graphic novel The Arrival, in particular, what he says about the intuitive resonance of looking at pictures as well as where he's pulling his visual references from. See also the wordless novels from the 1910s-1930s in woodcuts by Frans Masereel, like The City (Die Stadt) and Passionate Journey (Mon livre d'heures). 4. SOUND: A Comics Anthology Co-edited by Budjette Tan and Charis Loke; published by Difference Engine A collection of thirteen comics by Southeast Asian creators; visit the microsite to learn more about their process and how the anthology came together. 5. Follow Erica's award-winning comic and blog for updates.

Originally written by a merchant in 1775, publisher Amir Muhammad set the challenge to re-tell one of Malay literature's strangest stories alongside author Heidi Shamsuddin and illustrator Evi Shelvia. This story of pig king offers challenges for both readers and the authors who have created an evocatively modern re-telling as well as a novel funding process to produce this beautifully illustrated book. Speakers: Amir Muhammad, Heidi Shamsuddin, Evi Shelvia, Kam Raslan

Paul Celan remains one of the greatest poets of the 20th century. Grappling with the long shadow of the Holocaust, Celan's poetry was forged from language that had passed “through the thousand darknesses of death-bringing speech”. It was a powerful Gegenwort (counter-word) that resounded against the violence of obliteration, against the limits of poetry and language itself. In conjunction with the centenary of Paul Celan's birth, we speak to the distinguished poet and translator Pierre Joris, who has engaged deeply with Celan's work for over 50 years. We explore the complexities and intricacies of Celan's poetics, his striking reconfigurations of the German language, and what Joris calls Celan's “fearful polysemy”. This conversation is moderated by GTLF Co-Director Pauline Fan, who is translating Celan's poetry into Malay. Paul Celan's poetry readings, from “Ich Hörte Sagen”, (Audio CD) Der Hörverlag. Speakers: Pierre Joris, Pauline Fan

Exile has been a recurring theme and metaphor in poetry since ancient times to the present day. How do the social, political and existential conditions of exile or displacement shape a poetry of insistent memory and resistance? Poets and translators Abdulsalam, Amin, Masuma and Mwaffaq gather for a conversation among friends. They speak of longing for their homelands of Syria, Iran and Afghanistan, tensions of belonging in their new home of Malaysia, of hope, loss and the possibility of freedom. Speakers: Mwaffaq Al-Hajjar, Amin Kamrani, Abdulsalam, Masuma Tavakoli

In tribute to the late legendary Malaysian writer, K.S. Maniam, GTLF offers a special reading of his play, The Sandpit — a story of tradition, oppression, endurance and the female body set in a working-class Malaysian-Indian family. This dramatised reading features celebrated actresses Anne James and Jo Kukathas reprising the roles of Santha and Sumathi which they performed in the 1994 production. Speakers: Anne James, Jo Kukathas

Suasana sepi, tersisih, dan terpinggir adalah antara suasana yang sering dikaitkan dengan pengkaryaan sastera. Perbualan ini akan meneroka tentang karya yang terhasil dalam kurungan seperti penjara, pulau orang buangan, di dalam suaka politik (dan mungkin juga dalam tempoh Perintah Kawalan Pergerakan?). Bakal dibincangkan juga “kurungan” bersifat geografi, tentang sastera Melayu yang mungkin membataskan diri cuma dalam wilayah Malaysia atau Asia Tenggara, tentang jarak antara sastera Melayu Malaysia dan Indonesia, dan sebagainya. Pembicara: Nirwan Dewanto, Al-Mustaqeem M. Radhi

Best known for his “Rosales Saga” novels, multi-award-winning Filipino writer F. Sionil José, is known equally outside his country for his interventions on questions of land reform and social justice as well as one of the founders of the regional journal of literature and opinion, Solidarity. Born before the Great Depression, he is rare in being a living witness to the tumultuous 20th Century; throughout he has been a consistent advocate for freedom of expression with his confirmation as Vice President of PEN International in October 2019 a testament to that conviction. In this conversation, Eddin Khoo speaks to him about the role of the writer in the formation of national consciousness. Speakers: F. Sionil José, Eddin Khoo

“Tiada guna menjadi penulis jika karya yang ditulis tidak menyuarakan kepentingan dan kebajikan masyarakatnya”. Begitu menurut Fatimah Busu. Sedari awal menulis, sasterawan dan novelis ini tekal menegur ketempangan yang terjadi dalam masyarakatnya. Namun, tidak selalunya teguran lewat sastera disambut baik oleh khalayaknya atau lebih-lebih lagi oleh sang penguasa. Regina Ibrahim bersama Fatimah Busu berbicara tentang sastera Malaysia, tujuan menulis, dan perihal lain di sekitarnya. Pembicara: Fatimah Busu, Regina Ibrahim

Tatkala terkurung, puisi menjadi jalan keluar. Ia membawa kita menuju ke ruang-ruang yang jarang disinggahi melalui bahasa yang melampaui kebiasaan. Dengari lima belas penyair Malaysia membacakan puisi-puisi terpilih, membentangkan kedukaan, cinta, dan harapan. Pembicara: Jack Malik, Kulleh Grasi, Tulangkata, Alif Awan, Ainunl Muaiyanah, Aisyah Rais, Qurratul ‘Ain, Karim Mohd, Hafiz Hamzah, Shaira Amira, Syaheeda Hamdani, Zahid M. Naser, Shafiq Said, Hidayu Hatta, Raihani Md. Saaid

Artist and performer Foo May Lyn reads a short story by acclaimed Mahua writer Ho Sok Fong. ‘The Wall' stands at the threshold between the real and the surreal, between quiet anguish and wild delirium. ‘The Wall', Lake Like a Mirror by Ho Sok Fong, translated by Natascha Bruce, published by Granta (2019). Speakers: Foo May Lyn

Seperti apa sastera Mahua mempengaruhi perkembangan serta riwayat kebudayaan Malaya pada takah 1940 sehingga 1960-an? Dengan bolak-balik migrasi yang cukup pesat, pertembungan ideologi sehinggalah persoalan identiti, di mana letak duduk sastera Mahua dalam menangkap kebudayaan masyarakat kita kemudiannya? Bersama Profesor Ngoi Guat Peng (UPSI) dan Dr. Show Ying Xin (ANU) di dalam meneroka titik mula perkembangan sastera Mahua dan kesannya di Malaya. Pembicara: Show Ying Xin, Ngoi Guat Peng, Zikri Rahman

Since ancient times, labyrinths have been paradoxical by design. Serving as a path to spiritual rebirth, a trap for evil spirits, and a place to hold captive monsters of the empire, the complex layers of a labyrinth hold the promise to both enlighten and confound. In this conversation, we explore the formation of national belonging in Burma and the ways in which these histories have created constructions of the Burmese ‘self'. What has this meant for the Rohingya, who have been cast as the quintessential ‘other' of Burmese identity? What are the myths and parameters of this national imagination, and what would it take to shift them? Journalist and author, Carlos Sardiña Galache, interrogates these questions in a conversation on his new book, The Burmese Labyrinth. Speakers: Carlos Sardiña Galache, Lilianne Fan

Kritikan menghidupkan sastera dan karya tumbuh melalui penulis dan pengkritik. Setidak-tidaknya begitulah alam kesusasteraan di Nusantara khususnya di negara ini mengekalkan keberadaannya sejak abad ke-20. Namun, kritikan sastera dalam ranah teori kadangkala mengeringkan atau terasing. Tetapi ketika dibawa turun, kritikan sastera kemudiannya tidak lagi dianggap sebagai batu pengasah untuk menajamkan lagi daya fikir dan suara penulis, sebaliknya sebagai sebilah pedang untuk dibenamkan pada tubuh karya. Pada titik ini karya akhirnya berdarah ditusuk cemburu dan dendam. Pertemuan ini memeta budaya kritik sastera, berbual tentang keberanian penulis untuk keluar dari ruang selesa, dan bagaimana untuk mengekalkan satu suasana yang sesuai bagi perbahasan-perbahasan penting dalam sastera di Malaysia. Pembicara: S.M. Zakir, Wan Nor Azriq, Rebecca Ilham

If road trips bring us a change of scenery, road trips of the imagination take us to vistas along a horizon only limited by the expanse of our creative mindscapes. Writers Joshua Kam and Arif Rafhan join Adriana Nordin Manan in a conversation on the journeys taken in their works, and how they change, challenge and compel us to always carry the voyager's spirit within. This podcast is presented in co-partnership with EPIGRAM. Speakers: Joshua Kam, Arif Rafhan, Adriana Nordin Manan

With his follow-up memoir, Home Is Where We Are, renowned historian Wang Gungwu continues his personal journey through the 20th Century as a participant and keen observer. We ask him how the individual, caught up in forces far beyond her control, might come to understand and negotiate both the progress and the devastation that the Century wrought on people and the planet. Speakers: Wang Gungwu, Sharaad Kuttan

Dunia digital semakin menguasai. Penerbitan beralih bentuk. Gedung-gedung buku di biar runtuh. Namun, di celah-celah puing runtuhan ini lahirnya Svara. Tugasnya adalah untuk menyatukan sisa-sisa dakwat dan serpihan-serpihan kertas bersama. Ternyata, helaian surat-surat Svara membongkar kerinduan abadi yang selama ini segan diserlahkan. Perbualan ini membawa pendengar kembali ke beberapa detik ke belakang, melihat sidang redaksi Svara duduk di meja sebuah kedai kopi di kota Kuala Lumpur. Mereka menabur benih-benih bagi kelahiran jurnal seni, sastera, dan budaya berbahasa Melayu ini. Pembicara: Izzuddin Ramli, Nazir Harith Fadzilah, Hafiz Hamzah, Noor Azam Shairi