Lloyd Fernando,

Lloyd Fernando was born in Kandy, Sri Lanka in 1926, and migrated to Singapore with his family in 1938. After obtaining his PhD in Literature in English from Leeds University, he served as Head of the English Department at the University of Malaya from 1967 to 1978, then took an early retirement at 52 to study Law in London. Fernando was admitted as Advocate and Solicitor of the High Court of Malaya in 1980, at the age of 54.

Fernando is best known in the literary world for his novel Scorpion Orchid. His other novel, Green is the Colour, also explores the issues of identity and cultures in a multi-ethnic society. For his contribution to the University of Malaya, he was awarded the title of Professor Emeritus in 2005. Fernando passed away in 2008, leaving behind his wife, Marie, two daughters and four grandchildren.

Scorpion Orchid

An exciting first novel set in pre-independence Singapore. Scorpion Orchid follows the lives of four young men—a Malay, an Eurasian, a Chinese and a Tamil—against a backdrop of racial violence and political factions struggling for dominance. Excerpts from classical Malay and colonial English sources appear throughout the narrative, illuminating the roots and significance of this period in history.

Green Is The Colour

First published by Landmark Books in 1993, Green is the Colour explores how people of different races face the challenges of living together. The story centres on Yun Ming and Siti Sara falling in love with each other in the post-13 May 1969 period in Malaysia. Both characters are not only from different racial backgrounds and faiths but are also married to different people. In addition, Siti Sara’s father is a respected religious figure. How do the protagonists resolve their excruciatingly different circumstances in their fight to stay together?

Sybil Kathigasu, A Brave Lady

Sybil Kathigasu (1899-1949), commonly known as Mrs K or Missy, was an Indian woman who willingly sacrificed her life for the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA) members who fought for the independence of Malaya. She seems to be a rarity because firstly she was well known in Ipoh. Secondly she remained alive, despite having been found guilty by a Japanese military court. Other than that she had sustained injuries which were treatable, but not in Malaya and she was highly commended by the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army (MPAJA), led by the Communist Party of Malaya (CPM), then allies of the British.
She is born to an Irish-Eurasian father and an Indian mother in Medan. Sybil Kathigasu was a nurse who married Dr. Cecil Kathigasu. They had met while he was working in the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, where she was training to be a nurse and midwife. Sybil and Cecil married in 1919. They subsequently operated a clinic at No. 141, Brewster Road, Ipoh and then at No. 74, Main Street, Papan as a result of a 'chance' evacuation.
On 1 August 1942, 3 days after her husband was arrested in Perak by the Japanese occupiers, Sybil was arrested. They were detained separately in a police lock-up in Ipoh, and then in a Kempetei interrogation center on the outskirts of Ipoh. The detainees in the Kempetei center had to kneel down like dogs to enter the cell, and were treated to horrendous tortures. Men and women shared the same cells. The Kathigasu's children, William, 25 years old and Dawn, 7 years, were also briefly held and tortured at the Kempetei center. During their interrogation and trial, Sybil and her husband did not reveal anything which could expose and weaken the communist resistance. It is no wonder that the communists called Sybil "mother", apart from the fact that she gave them medical treatment.
Sybil was held in the Batu Gajah prison, while awaiting trial against 3 charges which are acting as a spy on behalf of and in cooperation with the enemy agents in Malaya, giving medical attention and other assistance to the Communist guerrillas and outlaws and possessing a radio set, listening to enemy broadcasts, and disseminating enemy propaganda.
Each of these charges carries a death sentence. It was during this time that she uttered a prayer:

"Great Saint Anthony, please intercede for me with the Infant Jesus to give me the strength and courage to bear bravely what God's Holy Will has ordained for me. Let me face death, if I must, in the spirit of the Holy Martyrs. But if I am spared to write a book about what I have undergone, I promise that the proceeds from the sale of the book shall go to building a church in your name, in Ipoh, and, if there is any over when the church is completed, to the relief of the poor and suffering, whatever their race or religion. Please help me, Saint Anthony." — Kathigasu, Sybil. No Dram of Mercy (2006), pp. 162. Prometheus)

A few weeks after the prayer, Sybil was tried in an office in the prison. Refusing to accept legal representation, she pleaded guilty to all the 3 charges and was sentenced to life-imprisonment. Sybil began serving her sentence in the same prison, and remained there till the Japanese surrendered. During the 3 years, she was subjected to torture, humiliation, isolation, cold, insects, and starvation.

In No Dram of Mercy, Sybil writes that on the day that she arrived home – in a car arranged for her by the Malayan Peoples' Anti-Japanese Army ("well clothed, armed and equipped by British") – two British Officers of Force 136 were waiting for her. She notes: "The British officers, who had responsibility for military intelligence, took down in outline the story of my experiences, and then asked me if there was any way in which they could help me." (Page 180) She had 2 requests:

1. The release of her husband and son from the Taiping Prison; and
2. The "best medical attention available" so that she would be able to walk again, with a promise that she would pay for whatever it cost.

On the last page of her book, Sybil reports the response of the officers: "You shall have the best treatment, and it will be entirely at Government expense. We are authorized to tell you that the British military authorities will have your injuries treated exactly as if you had been wounded in battle." (Page 180)

LEE SU KIM, KEBAYA TALES

Lee Su Kim is the author of nine books including two bestsellers, Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian and Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest. Both books have sold more than 10,000 copies each and are still in demand by both Malaysians, international students and expats living in Malaysia as well as gifts for Malaysians living abroad.

Her book, A Nyonya In Texas: Insights of a Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State (2007) is a hilarious account of crosscultural encounters between East and West.

She has authored texts and resource books on writing, grammar and short stories for secondary children, and is Chief Editor of 3 books including Border Crossings: Moving across Languages and Cultural Frameworks ( 2007).

Su Kim has recently published her debut collection of short stories called Kebaya Tales : of Matriarchs, Maidens, Mistresses and Matchmakers ( 2011), inspired by real-life events from the unique Straits Chinese community. Available in all major bookstores in Malaysia and Singapore.

Dr. Lee Su Kim is Associate Professor of English at the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia. She holds a B. Arts (Hons) degree in English, Diploma in Education (TESL) and Masters in Education from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston.
She is a founder member and the first woman President of the Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor. She was a columnist for The Star, a leading English newspaper in Malaysia for three years. She was an invited writer to the prestigious Ubud Writers & Readers Festival at Ubud, Bali, 2009. 

 KEBAYA TALES

Kebaya Tales is a delightful collection of short stories, teeming with fascinating and interesting characters, unexpected twists and turns, cultural rituals, beliefs and superstitions and poignant events in the life stories of the Peranakans.

Lee Su Kim’s book brings you into another world, a world that many know little about—the world of the Babas and Nyonyas or the Straits Chinese, a colourful, flamboyant and unique community still in existence today in the former Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Like her previous books, Lee Su Kim’s stories in this book are laced with humour and occasional gentle satire. All the stories are based on or are inspired by real-life events which Su Kim has collected from her nyonya mother, grandmother, bibiks and nyonyas.
This is a first-ever collection of short stories of a unique cultural community, at the crossroads as to its very survival, but presently enjoying a tremendous resurgence. Su Kim’s debut collection of stories are simply stunning and heartwarming, evocative of a bygone era and a cultural community renowned for its unique multicultural legacy.

TAN TWANG ENG

Tan Twan Eng was born in 1972 in Penang, but lived in various places in Malaysia as a child. He studied law at the University of London and later worked as lawyer in one of Kuala Lumpur’s most reputable law firms. He also has a first-dan ranking in aikido and is a strong proponent for the conservation of heritage buildings.
Tan Twan Eng talked about his background, his second novel, and his writing process in a May 2012 interview live-tweeted by BooksLiveSA from a literary festival in Franschhoek, South Africa. His hometown is Penang, Malaysia, and he received a law degree there. He said being a lawyer helped him be organized, disciplined, and meticulous, and that lawyers have to craft stories. While he grew up with Malay, Hokkien, and English spoken at home, the author said he thinks and dreams in English. Currently he writes full time, splitting his time between Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Cape Town, South Africa. His first novel, The Gift of Rain, set in Penang during World War II was longlisted for the Man Booker Prize in 2007. His second novel, The Garden of Evening Mists (2012), which opens just after World War II, is written from the perspective of a female judge and involves three cultures: Malay, Japanese, and South African. His third novel will be set in China.

TASH AW

Tash Aw was born in Taiwan to Malaysian parents and grew up in Kuala Lumpar.

He moved to England in his teens, and studied Law at the Universities of Cambridge and Warwick. He moved to London and undertook various jobs, including working as a lawyer for four years. He then studied Creative Writing at the University of East Anglia.

Tash Aw is the author of three novels: The Harmony Silk Factory (2005), winner of the Costa First Novel Award and a Commonwealth Writers’ Prize for Best First Novel and longlisted for the 2005 Man Booker Prize; Map of the Invisible World (2009); and Five Star Billionaire (2013), longlisted for the 2013 Man Booker Prize.