In its return to physical events, the George Town Literary Festival (GTLF) casts a spotlight on the Wilderness as an influence on human imagination, as well as the dark side of human nature.
By JY Tan
In the 12th edition of GTLF, the festival’s curatorial team aims to “explore the complex relationship between the Wilderness and Human Nature.” After two years of holding GTLF online, over 70 events will take place over the course of four days from 24th November to 27th November, with Tamil-language and Chinese-language panels being the festival’s latest additions. Here are some of the events featured in GTLF’s exploration of the wilderness:
Jeyamohan: The Free and Ferocious Elephant of Tamil Literature
A leading voice of contemporary global Tamil literature, writer and literary critic B. Jeyamohan discusses the reclamation and reconstruction of Tamil heritage in his works. Moderated by festival curator M. Navin, the panel will also explore Jeyamohan’s systematic infusion of philosophical discussion into Tamil literature and the strengths of Tamil virtue (or Aram) in navigating today’s self-serving world.
The Parallel Journey of Malaysian and Singaporean and Tamil Literature
Though born as conjoined twins, Malaysian and Singaporean Tamil literature diverged to travel across different landscapes and environments while weathering the socio-political challenges thrown up by separation. In this panel, speakers A. Pandian, Ko. Punniyavan, and Kanagalatha will discuss the contemporary environment and challenges of their respective literary scenes.
Conversing in Poetry and Prose (26 Nov)
Poetry and prose are among the oldest forms of Chinese literature, dating back to 400BC and 200BC respectively. Even today, these two genres form the majority of Malaysian-Chinese literary works. The “sanwen”, a modern prose genre uncommon in non-Chinese literatures, leads readers through narratives and anecdotes into a realm ‘within’ as perceived and experienced by the authors. Moderated by Florence Kuek and featuring speakers Sen Kim Soon, Huazong Literary Award first-prize winner Fang Lu and Ong Yuen Kuan, this panel aims to explore the engaging force of lyrical lines, stanzas and paragraphs in Malaysian-Chinese poetry and prose.
Embrace Life, Diffuse the Chaos (27 Nov)
Storytelling is as old as time immemorial, and Malaysian-Chinese stories in particular grapple with universal human experiences such as joy and grief in both real life and fictional settings. From a familiar Malaysian river to the ubiquitous AIs of this age, the award-winning works by our proudly Malaysian master storytellers—Lai Choy, King Banhui and Fei-er—revisit the memories of yore, colonialism, sufferings during World War II, and complexities within the fledgling nation.
Apart from fictional writings, biographical writing as a genre has also found favour among young authors. Moderated by Teoh Hui See, this panel will also discuss biographies about iconic and remarkable Chinese personalities that have, beyond doubt, widened and enriched the non-fiction repertoire of Malaysian Chinese literature, providing inspiration to generations to come.
Wan Phing Lim (centre) and Regina Ibrahim in conversation with Marc de Faoite during the Little Worlds of Make-Believe event of GTLF 2021.
So You Think You Can Joke? (25–26 November)
Another cause for celebration surrounding this year’s GTLF is the return of physical workshops. In this two-day paid event, Kavin Jay and Penang Comedy Events will teach participants the basics of stand-up comedy, giving them a first-hand look at preparing jokes and bringing them to the stage.
Getting Published in the UK & Malaysia—A Comparison and Some Practical Tips (26 Nov)
Literary agents of Sivagurunathan & Chua Literary Agency, Devina Sivagurunathan and Rosalind Chua, will talk about the differences and similarities in the publishing industry in both countries during this paid workshop. They’ll also discuss the necessity of proactivity and industry-savviness for aspiring writers in Malaysian English literature, outline some practical tips and share dreaded ‘no-nos’ for crafting submissions that publishers and literary agents will love.
GTLF 2021 hosted 20 events and writers from all over the world, including Germany, Japan and
Regina Ibrahim and National Laureate Zurinah Hassan
Zurinah Hassan is Malaysia’s 13th National Laureate and the first woman to be awarded the title. Her literary works cover a diverse range of mediums, including short stories, a memoir, literary studies and more, but she is best known as a poet. In this one-on-one talk, transwoman author Regina Ibrahim will explore the start of Zurinah’s writing career as well as the ups and downs she’s experienced along the way.
Unravelling Race, Class, and History: Karina Robles Bahrin, Viji Krishnamoorthy, Preeta Samarasan
In this panel moderated by Teo Lee Ken, three prominent Malaysian writers discuss the impact of race, class, and history on Malaysian literature in English. Karina recently won the Epigram Books Fiction Prize of 2022 for her debut novel, The Accidental Malay, while Viji Krishnamoorthy and Preeta Samarasan recently published 912 Batu Road and Tale of the Dreamer’s Son respectively.
Disclaimer: All details are correct at the time of publishing.
JY Tan is a freelance translator, writer, and co-curator of the upcoming The Best of Malaysian Writing in English 2010–2020 anthology. She hopes to get her first novel published someday.