The Merlion and the Hibiscus: Contemporary Short Stories from Singapore and Malaysia

A Unique anthology of short fiction from South-East Asia, it brings together the work of nineteen exceptional writers from Singapore and Malaysia. Set in the small towns and cities, these stories capture the richness and complexity of life in a region that is an extraordinary blend of different races, languages and cultures.This anthology brings together the work of nineteen exceptional writers from Singapore and Malaysia. Written over the last fifty years, these stories reflect the richness of a multicultural society and its experience of war and colonialism. In Gopal Baratham’s ‘The Interview’, a veteran of the Second World War looks back on his years as a Japanese prisoner of war and his unique relationship with his interrogator. In ‘Tragedy of My Third Eye’, Suchen Christine Lim writes of Ping, a six-year-old who would rather be at school and at home. In ‘Victoria and Her Kimono’, M Shanmughalingam parodies the legacy of colonialism.Also in this collection are deeply insightful and entertaining stories about a generation grappling with issues of religious, ethnic and gender identities. Catherine Lim’s ‘White, Right, Rite’, for instance;, is a brilliant take-off on the absurdity of moral and ethical policing. In another memorable story, ‘Bugis’ by Alflan Sa’at, an encounter with a transvestite opens a teenager’s eyes to the shallowness of the world around her and to her own hidden desires.Set in the small towns and cities, these stories capture the richness and complexity of life in a region that is an extraordinary blend of different races, languages and cultures.