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.