I have not read any Malaysian books - yet. I did just start reading "Cranford" by Elizabeth Gaskell. Its an episodic novel from 1853. I picked up a Dover Thrift edition for a buck. What you said about a society that is obsessed with conformity and social norms resonates with my initial impressions of Gaskell's novel of an English country town.
Aah! Cranford has been on my list ever since I read North and South last year. I haven't managed to read it yet. Also, society indeed is obsessed with conformity, which I guess makes sense from a survival point of view, but still, I always find it somewhat difficult to fully adapt to it.
I haven't read anything yet from Malaysian authors but if you're interested in reading from other SEA countries, I have a small list here https://jamc.substack.com/p/lets-read-asia
Interesting! I grew up in Malaysia and hadn't heard of this book, so thanks for bringing it to my attention! Some of my favourite Malaysian authors are Tan Twan Eng, Tash Aw, and YZ Chin.
I'd never heard of any of these authors, so thank you for your recommendations! I'll definitely look them up. I'm recently thinking about literature that aren't well-represented in the mainstream literature space and how many good books there must be that we never get to know about. So, I'd love to explore more of these.
I have not read any Malaysian books - yet. I did just start reading "Cranford" by Elizabeth Gaskell. Its an episodic novel from 1853. I picked up a Dover Thrift edition for a buck. What you said about a society that is obsessed with conformity and social norms resonates with my initial impressions of Gaskell's novel of an English country town.
Aah! Cranford has been on my list ever since I read North and South last year. I haven't managed to read it yet. Also, society indeed is obsessed with conformity, which I guess makes sense from a survival point of view, but still, I always find it somewhat difficult to fully adapt to it.
I haven't read anything yet from Malaysian authors but if you're interested in reading from other SEA countries, I have a small list here https://jamc.substack.com/p/lets-read-asia
Oooh! This is so helpful! Thank you for sharing. Would definitely want to read more SEA literature.
Interesting! I grew up in Malaysia and hadn't heard of this book, so thanks for bringing it to my attention! Some of my favourite Malaysian authors are Tan Twan Eng, Tash Aw, and YZ Chin.
I'd never heard of any of these authors, so thank you for your recommendations! I'll definitely look them up. I'm recently thinking about literature that aren't well-represented in the mainstream literature space and how many good books there must be that we never get to know about. So, I'd love to explore more of these.