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Malay Sketches
by
Alfian Sa'at (Goodreads Author)
Malay Sketches is a collection of stories that borrows its name from a book of anecdotes by colonial governor Frank Swettenham, describing Malay life on the Peninsula. In Alfian Sa’at’s hands, these sketches are reimagined as flash fictions that record the lives of members of the Malay community in Singapore. With precise and incisive prose, Malay Sketches offers the reade...more
Paperback, 232 pages
Published
2012
by Ethos Books
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Words used are simple yet they stir up such provoking thoughts.
Are the Singaporean Malays just a bunch of lazy people leading a hedonistic lifestyle? No, we are a pretty diverse group. Are we too laid-back? In a fast-paced society like ours, that's actually a plus point. Are we too stupid? Definitely not! But sometimes, we're made to believe that. Will the Malays ever move up the ranks of this egalitarian state? HAHA! Maybe, if we allow ourselves to believe that there is true meritocracy.
And d...more
Are the Singaporean Malays just a bunch of lazy people leading a hedonistic lifestyle? No, we are a pretty diverse group. Are we too laid-back? In a fast-paced society like ours, that's actually a plus point. Are we too stupid? Definitely not! But sometimes, we're made to believe that. Will the Malays ever move up the ranks of this egalitarian state? HAHA! Maybe, if we allow ourselves to believe that there is true meritocracy.
And d...more
Malay Sketches begins with a story told from the perspective of a Chinese convert to Islam. For me, it was a clear sign of Alfian's project - a representation of a culture to the outsider, who is encouraged to put aside any ideological baggage he may have and see things from 'the other side'. That this project both has its roots in and reacts against a certain cultural essentialism is clear enough; what truly surprised me was how this theoretical Other reader changed as the stories progressed.
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Every turn of the page feels like you're discovering a golden nugget. The stories were written in a simple but poignant way, as though they came from our own memories and onto the pages of the book. Each story touches on a different aspect of what it is like to be Malay. It doesn't discount the changes that Malays have undergone in terms of personal identity as well as a race in general. Some stories will cause you to be self-reflective. Others will allow you discover aspects of the Malay cultur...more
This is first book from Alfian Sa'at that I read and tell you what, I love it! Heck even Amir Muhammad recommends this book!
Specifically, personally; I love the monologues. There are a total of 48 short stories in this anthology and each one of them bears a different kind of feeling, if not, wonders. One can't help but to feel that he/she shares the same experience or merely a resemblance of event to the characters portrayed in the stories. There are of course, some cold hard truth or reality th...more
Specifically, personally; I love the monologues. There are a total of 48 short stories in this anthology and each one of them bears a different kind of feeling, if not, wonders. One can't help but to feel that he/she shares the same experience or merely a resemblance of event to the characters portrayed in the stories. There are of course, some cold hard truth or reality th...more
So much love for this book!!!!
Really felt like I was discovering a part of my heritage I somehow knew existed, but revisited it with touching stories to boot.
Thought-provoking at times, but otherwise sentimental and a beautiful and wonderful read.
Recommended to everyone!!!! SUPPORT LOCAL TALENT!!!!!!!!
Really felt like I was discovering a part of my heritage I somehow knew existed, but revisited it with touching stories to boot.
Thought-provoking at times, but otherwise sentimental and a beautiful and wonderful read.
Recommended to everyone!!!! SUPPORT LOCAL TALENT!!!!!!!!
Moving, poignant and funny, Alfian's study of Malay culture in Singapore is an amazing collection of vignettes. Tackling a diverse set of issues such as the death penalty and political detention are tales of love and redemption. Highly recommended.
Malay Sketches is interesting because as a Singaporean, I can resonate with almost every story in it. Scratch almost.
A beautifully-written collection, providing a unique insight into Singapore's Malay culture, which has thus far been under-represented in English-language Singaporean writing. I'm a big fan of flash fiction; it's an exceedingly difficult art form, where an entire narrative must be distilled into less than a thousand words, but Sa'at proves exceptionally deft here at capturing small moments that bespeak big narratives. Fully one-quarter of these pieces are good enough to find their way into Year'...more
Brilliant! Read it to understand the reality of a supposedly multi-cultural Singapore.
A Starry Hill & Child are favorites.
The archetypal Malay is deconstructed and demystified to the reader (ostensibly an Other - one of the remaining three official "races" that make up Singapore's CMIO racial model). I found myself empathizing with the anxieties that plague the Malay minority here; preconceived stereotypes, covert (sometimes overt) racism, the paradoxical essence of Malayness, to name but a few. Through this I have gained a newfound respect and deeper understanding of the Malay community in Singapore.
Provides good insight into the general mindset of a minority group in Singapore in a crisp & thoughtful manner.
Jun 14, 2013
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