Malaysian non-fiction
Politics, History, and Anthropology
Piracy is always a hot topic in the waters surrounding Malaysia, and John S. Burnett’s well-researched Dangerous Waters: Modern Piracy on the High Seas (2002, ISBN 0-525-94679-9) is a must-read for shippers, ocean travelers, and lovers of intrigue. Burnett uncovers the fact to few ships, no matter how large, are invulnerable, to local cutthroats, international cartels that hijack tankers and freighters and paint and rename them, or terrorists’ organizations. Some of the eeriest passages in this book include references to “ghost ships,” hijacked ships with kidnapped crew members, who ply the seas without ever reaching shore, condemning their crews to a life of servitude.
Author James Ritchie has been on the Sarawak beat for over 20 years, both as a writer, and on the Civil Service. His Bruno Manser: the Inside Story (1994, ISBN 9971-976-13-7) is the story of the activities of the well-reported Swiss environmentalist, who lived among the Penan people of Sarawak. Ritchie here chronicles Manser’s activities and travails from the years 1983 to 1993 (Manser, who went missing in the jungles of Borneo in 2001, was declared dead by a Swiss court in 2005, although a body has never been found). Timber politics, NGOs, Western media, and the Communist Terrorist connection are all part of this fascinating look at behind-the-scenes Borneo. From an anthropological perspective, Ritchie’s explanation of the daily lives of the nomadic Penan people are fascinating, as are the amazing side stories on topics as diverse as sima ants, leeches, Penan marriage and sexual rites, making sago, the crafting of blowpipes and darts, and tuak and langkau Dayak alcohol. This is Ritchie’s best book, both readable and insightful.
We asked the author to comment on what he felt was Manser’s ultimate fate: “I believe he is dead. Either murdered by timber people/robbers or deliberately went into a cave to fast to his death... He wanted to be immortalized and maybe by "disappearing" people will always think he is around, if they don't find his remains ( he told me he used to fast for weeks while in a state of trance in one of caves at Batu Lawi in the late 1980s, to seek God's voice.)
Ritchie’s Man-Eating Crocodiles of Borneo (2002, ISBN 983-812-064-2), written with crocodile expert Johnson Jong, features true tales, myths, and some horrifying pictures. The Sarawak Museum features an exhibit with a hairball 9 inches in diameter connected to a dental plate, along with the watch of one victim of the notorious croc Bujang Samarahan, a story described in detail in the book.
James Ritchie has pretty much made exploring and writing about Sarawak’s hinterlands his life’s work, and those seeking to understand the cultural and history of Sarawak’s indigenous peoples would be well-served to read two of his books, both written in 2006. Temengonggong Oyong Lawai Jau: Paramount Chief in Borneo (2006, ISBN 10-983-40437-2-4) tells the fascinating story of the legendary Kenyah chief, and his interactions with Westerners, Iban, Bedayuh, Penan, Malays, and the Japanese occupation forces. The appendix is wonderful, detailing Kenyah omen birds, and birth, marriage and burial rituals.
Ritchie’s Crown Jewel of the North: Sarawak’s Limbang Division (2006: ISBN 983-40437-1-6) recounts the fascinating history of Limbang, and its relationship to Western influences, Malaysia, and Brunei. It’s chock-full of stories, references, and biographies, a must for those traveling through this fascinating area of Malaysian Borneo.
Ritchie’s Who Gives a Dam!: the Bakun Odyssey (2006, ISBN 983-42114-0-6) provides an in-depth glimpse into the convoluted politics surrounding the creation of the Bakun dam in Sarawak, involving relocation of Dayak people, NGOs, and federal and state officials.
The colonial history of today’s Malaysian state of Sarawak is heavily influenced by the rule of the legendary White Rajah, Sir James Brooke. Nigel Barley’s White Rajah: a Biography of Sir James Brooke (2002, ISBN 0-349-11673-3) describes his beginnings in Sarawak, his rise to power, and political acumen, a man “noble, inspired, flawed, fascinating, contradictory.”
W.R. Geddes’ Nine Dayak Nights (1957, Oxford University Press) is an extraordinarily interesting anthropological study of the Sea Dayaks, surrounding their myth of the tale of Kichapi. Geddes discusses subjects as diverse as headhunting, sexuality, and marriage as they relate to daily life and the myth.
Crafts and Antiquities
Tribal crafts and antiquities dealers in Sarawak continue to cite Bernard Sellato’s Hornbill and Dragon (1989, ISBN 979-8112-00-8) as a prime source for information on the tribes, cultures, and artifacts of Borneo. This large-format book, which contains over 450 pictures, was published by Elf Aquitaine, went through two printings, and is currently unavailable unless you’re able to find it used. It’s well-worth searching for in used bookshops.
Lucien de Guise’s Collectable Malaysia (2001, Python Press) is a small format 160 page book that concentrates on everything from wood carving to beadwork, and focuses on Straits Chinese, Malay, and tribal arts that are small enough to be carried home in your luggage. Listings of antiquities dealers are in here as well.
Malaysian fiction
Khoo Kheng-Hor is a management consultant who, in addition to his books on business, has written Taikor (2004, ISBN 967-978-878-4) a splendid saga detailing the life of a underworld boss. Here, you’ll find fascinating details of the Tongs of Malaysia in a well-written narrative that spans the decades of Malaysian development and statehood.
Dark City: Psychotic and other Twisted Malaysian Tales (2006, ISBN 983-3526-25-X) is an apt description of the exceptional fiction of Xeus, the pen name of an MD who has been writing in Malaysia for over ten years. While unmistakably Malaysian in setting, the author draws on tortured minds common to all cultures. “The Scarlet Woman” is a funny, bittersweet, and ultimately Oedipal coming-of age story. Even more disturbing is “The Maid”, only superficially about low-paid immigrant workers. “Monster” involves a spoiled, badly behaved child who receives comeuppance that can only have been described by someone who’s spent some time dwelling on such children. The author, who chooses to remain anonymous for professional reasons, is a master storyteller, with a fine insight into the human condition. This is one of the best fiction books to come out of Asia in 2006. To discover more, visit Xeus’ blog at: www.darkcity-xeus.blogspot.com
Tunku Halim is a Malaysian writer specializing in horror fiction. His 44 Cemetary Road: The Best of Tunku Halim (2007, ISBN 983-369-827-1) consists of a nice collection of macabre tales. Vermillion Eye (2000, ISBN 967-978-783-4) is a novel reminiscent of the work of H.P. Lovecraft, set in Australia.
Nathan Mills’ The Third Attempt (2005, ISBN 974-92669-8-6) is an international thriller set primarily in Malaysia, with a bit of action in Phnom Penh. Here, a powerful family rules police and politics, while their out-of-control son rapes and kills at will. He kidnaps a diplomat’s daughter, mistaking her for a local girl, which sets in motion a juggernaut of vengeance. To Western eyes, the plot initially appears unrealistic; to Eastern readers, it’s business as usual.
Australian author Terry Tredrea writes forcefully of the travails of a Chinese country girl from the kampungs of Malaysia in Journey Woman (1991, ISBN 9971-64-239-5). Realistic and non-cloying, the author takes us on her bleak journey through a house of prostitution to becoming a drug informant for a crooked cop. This bold book offers hopes for escape that appear to be stymied at every turn, and Tredrea never takes the easy way out in this well-crafted tale.
