Fiction & non-fiction resources about Malaysia P-12 Fiction and non-fiction from and about Malaysia from LMERC Page 1 Resources about Malaysia from the Languages & Multicultural Education Resource Centre and online Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre 150 Palmerston St, Carlton 3053 PH: 9349 1418 EMAIL: [email protected]Nonfiction Title Author Year For mat Front cover Abstract Year Level Growing up Asian in Australia Pung, Alice ed. 2008 Book A collection of essays, stories, poems, graphic stories relating the multi layered histories and identities of some Australians with an Asian background. One of the contributors Sim Chen is a poet and general practitioner who writes about: travelling in Vietnam, his feelings about his home country of Malaysia, speaking halting Mandarin and layered identities. Sim Chen’s first collection of poetry City of Skin was published in 2001. 10-12 Culture in Malaysia Guile, Melaine 2005 Book A general information book written for upper primary to mid-secondary level. Chapters include Culture in Malaysia, Traditions and customs, Minority groups, Costume and clothing, Food, Performing arts, Folklore and literature, Film and television, Arts and crafts. Glossary included giving further explanation or definition about terms used throughout the book. Contemporary and traditional culture is highlighted. The book includes accessible analysis of history, cultural diversity, politics and leadership in contemporary Malaysia. Part of the Culture in… series. 5-9
Transcript
Fiction & non-fiction resources about Malaysia P-12
Fiction and non-fiction from and about Malaysia from LMERC Page 1
Resources about Malaysia from the Languages & Multicultural Education Resource Centre and online Languages and Multicultural Education Resource Centre 150 Palmerston St, Carlton 3053 PH: 9349 1418 EMAIL: [email protected]
Nonfiction
Title Author Year Format
Front cover Abstract Year Level
Growing up
Asian in
Australia
Pung, Alice ed.
2008 Bo
ok
A collection of essays, stories, poems, graphic stories relating the multi layered histories and identities of some Australians with an Asian background. One of the contributors Sim Chen is a poet and general practitioner who writes about: travelling in Vietnam, his feelings about his home country of Malaysia, speaking halting Mandarin and layered identities. Sim Chen’s first collection of poetry City of Skin was published in 2001.
10-12
Culture in
Malaysia
Guile, Melaine
2005 Bo
ok
A general information book written for upper primary to mid-secondary level. Chapters include Culture in Malaysia, Traditions and customs, Minority groups, Costume and clothing, Food, Performing arts, Folklore and literature, Film and television, Arts and crafts. Glossary included giving further explanation or definition about terms used throughout the book. Contemporary and traditional culture is highlighted. The book includes accessible analysis of history, cultural diversity, politics and leadership in contemporary Malaysia. Part of the Culture in… series.
5-9
Fiction and non-fiction from and about Malaysia from LMERC Page 2
Malaysia and
Brunei.
Einspruch, Andrew
2007 Bo
ok
Countries of South-East Asia: Malaysia and Brunei, Reed International Books, Port Melbourne
Brief guide to the history and customs of both Malaysia and the neighbouring state of Brunei.
5-9
Journey through
Malacca
Berbar, H 2004 Bo
ok
A pictorial tour of Malaysia’s oldest city, exploring its history and culture. Many colour photographs. Timeline, maps, further information including websites for many of the attractions and eating places described in the book. Chapters on: cuisine, arts crafts and architecture, festivals and holidays.
5-9
Exciting
Malaysia.
Singapore
Wong, S.L. 2000 Large hard
back b
oo
k
Full colour photographic ‘album’ covering all Malaysia’s major cities and islands. Also contains maps and plans of all the main cities.
Chapters: Selamat dating!, People, Religion, Nature, Kuala Lumpur, Penang and Langkawi, Malacca, East Coast, Sabah and Sarawak, Wonders of the sea.
4-9
Malysia: portrait
of a nation
Moore, W 2003 Large hard
back
bo
ok
An illustrated history of Malaysia, with over 140 colour photographs
5-12
Fiction and non-fiction from and about Malaysia from LMERC Page 3
Visions: a multicultural exploration of Malaysia and Australia
Malaysia-Australia Foundation and Australia- Malaysia Society
1997 Large hard
back
bo
ok
A photo essay highlighting Multicultural societies in Australia and Malaysia. Portraits of urban and rural Malaysians and Australians as they go about daily life. Scenes depict traditional and contemporary lifestyles.
5-12
Online resources
World Newspapers.com
Free Malaysia today
Various MToday News Sdn. Bhd K. Kabilan ed.
2011 2011
We
bsite
http://www.world-newspapers.com/malaysia.html For a list of online journals, magazines and newspapers
http://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/ Bilingual news portal with blogs, discussions about contemporary politics and life in Malaysia.
‘Free Malaysia Today aim to give readers news that is different from the rest of the pack. Our goal is to get hold of truth and drag it out for all to see. In pursuit of truth, we spare no effort to get our facts right, our acts correct, our mission going.’ From About Us page of website.
9-12
Music
The Rough guide to the music of Malaysia
World Music Network
2006 Au
dio
CD
15 tracks demonstrate the diversity of music styles heard in contemporary music in Malaysia. Arabic influenced pop, bollywood sounds, traditional. Artists include Mari Menari, Noraniza Idris, Liza Hanim and Siti Nurhaliza.
Fiction and non-fiction from and about Malaysia from LMERC Page 4
Environments:
Asia Pacific
Poultney, T 2003 Bo
ok
Aimed at students in the middle years of school, this book deals with a range of
environmental issues from across Asia. Contains four ‘case studies’ that deal with
Malaysian issues such as deforestation and wildlife preservation.
5-9
The changing
face of Malaysia
Glendinning, A & Holmes, J
2004 Bo
ok
Provides an insight into the history, economy and society of Malaysia, considers its future, and contains interviews with a wide range of people from across Malay society. Topics include: the changing population, changes at home, women’s roles, education, landscape and environment, natural resources, religion, changes at work. Glossary and links to suggested online resources.
7-10
The Asia Literary Review
2011 Electron
ic
&h
ardco
py
Malaysian poets, writers and artists Poems from various Malaysian poets (back issues available to view for free) http://www.asialiteraryreview.com/article.web.ViewArticles.do?articleCountryId=18
10-12
Kampung Boy Lat 2009 Grap
hic n
ovel
A gentle and humorous retelling through words and pictures of the author’s life growing up in a rural tin mining village in Malaysia. Lat describes daily life and some of the rituals associated with birth, growing up as a Muslim and going to school. A really accessible introduction to an aspect of Malaysian culture and lifestyle mid 20c. Town boy is the companion book which documents the author’s life when he leaves the village for school in a bigger regional town at the age of 10. Suitable for middle years to adult.
Hardcover book of nine traditional children’s stories from Malaysia, with illustrations. Stories include ‘The dragon of Kinabalu’ and ‘Pak Pandir, the village fool’.
P-4
The gift of rain Tan Twan Eng
2007 Bo
ok
First person narrative from the perspective of an Anglo-Chinese Malayan man now in his 50’s but describing his youth just prior to WWII. Through rich descriptive language the author weaves a multilayered political and multi cultural history of the region. The politically and emotionally charged events leading up to the second world war enables the author to explore issues such as: loyalty & divided loyalty, a sense of duty (positive and negative), intercultural understanding and misunderstanding, shared humanity, pacifism and militarism and the effect of invasions and colonisation on Malaysia and the region. Extracts could be used to explore Malaysian history and multiculturalism. The book contains 3 descriptions of Japanese ritualised suicide or beheading which may make the book unsuitable for students.
10-12
Evening is the whole day
Samarasan, Preeta
2008 Bo
ok
The opening scene of this novel beautifully describes the physical and climatic features of Malaysia. ‘There is, stretching delicate as a bird’s head from the thin neck of the Kra Isthmus, a land that makes up half of the country called Malaysia. Where it dips its beak into the South china Sea, Singapore hovers like a bubble escaped from its throat. The bird’s head is a springless, summerless autumnless winterless land. …[each day is] hot, damp, bright, bursting with tropical life, conducive to endless tea breaks and mad, jostling, honking rushes through town to get home before the afternoon downpour.’p1. The politics of cultural and class divisions and discriminations have consequences for a poor young women from a Tamil background employed to work for a upper class Malaysian family of Indian background. Again, extracts could be used effectively to explore the tensions and or cross- overs between the dominant cultures in Malaysia. Set in post war Malaysia up to the 1980’s.
11-12
Fiction and non-fiction from and about Malaysia from LMERC Page 6
The Harmony Silk Factory
Aw, Tash 2005 Bo
ok
Another novel which examines cross cultural tensions under extreme pressure in the lead up to the Japanese invasion of Malaysia during WWII and the eventual withdrawal of the British. The effects of British colonialism and post colonial society form the backdrop to the narrative. This story is told in three parts, from the point of view of three characters. The characters reflect on their relationship with the main character Johnny Lim, a mysterious and sometimes brilliant but corrupt self-made businessman who rises from the poverty and hardship of the tin mine villages of Malaysia to become an influential and wealthy textile merchant. Similarly to The gift of rain the characters’ relationship with a very cultured and influential Japanese man living in Malaysia prior to the war becomes more dangerous and suspect as the threat of invasion becomes a reality.
11-12
Voices nearby:
an anthology of
Asia-Pacific
writing.
Grover, Paul, ed
1997 Bo
ok
This anthology contains three Malaysian items: a short story extract by K.S.
Maniam, an extract from the novel’ The Crocodile fury’ by Beth Yap, and a short
story by Lee Lok Kiang.
8-12
Published by: Student Learning Division; Department of Education and Early Childhood Development,
