By The Book

A semi-autobiographical novel that shares a title with a Fyodor Dostoevsky novel, The Idiot is a bildungsroman that tells the story of Selin, a Turkish American college freshman, attending Harvard University in the 1990s and falling desperately and confusingly in love with a Hungarian mathematics student, Ivan. An intriguing, funny and unusual look at love, language, and one person's quest for mea...

Best known for the various works that make up Peter Pan, JM Barrie's life was deeply interesting, and marked by tragedy as well as the relationships that informed much of his work. In this episode of Bibliography, we talk about his life, his success in writing, and the way the themes of Peter Pan were inspired by real experiences and people. Then in Footnotes, we talk about the adaptations of his...

Transpacific - An Asian Canadian Literary Journey is an exhibition including essays and posters, organised by the High Commission of Canada in Malaysia, aiming to highlight Asian Canadian literature and writers. We speak to its curator, Vincent Ternida about putting it together, what it feels like to represent the Asian Canadian writing community, and how his cultural identity has shaped his own w...

To Kill A Mockingbird is a hugely influential classic, and considered one of the great American novels of the 20th century, but its author, Harper Lee famously did not enjoy her fame, or the attention the book brought her, and didn't put anything else out until the controversial publication of Go Set A Watchman. We discuss Harper Lee's life, how it made its way into her books, and her legacy. And...

Childhood literacy isn't always a straightforward thing, and the effects of falling behind in reading can be far-reaching. In this episode, we talk to Rachael Francis about MYReaders, an organisation that aims to provide sustainable reading programmes and develop effective, relevant resources to help children learn to read. We also talk about Rachael's own path to becoming a reader, and the role t...

Inspired by the legend of the Chinese moon goddess Chang’e, Sue Lynn Tan’s young adult novel follows the titular young woman’s quest to free her mother, which pits her against some of the most powerful immortals in the realm. Along the way, she trains to become a warrior, battles terrifying creatures, and finds both friendship and love. We review the book and discuss its refreshing take on the cla...

Douglas Adams would have turned 70 on March 11 2022, which is why we're dedicating our bibliography episode in March to his life and works. Best known for The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Adams was a novelist and essayist, but also wrote for radio, and both the big and small screen. We discuss the impact his work has had on us, and on humourists and science fiction authors that followed. And...

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid tells the grand saga of fictional Old Hollywood star Evelyn Hugo, who at the age of 79, mysteriously decides to give a tell-all interview to up-and-coming journalist Monique Grant. The book switches between past and present, and explores what it means for those who live on the fringes to take control of their own stories - all with a great s...

The winner of this year's 2022 Epigram Books Fiction Prize, Karina Robles Bahrin joins us to talk about her debut novel, The Accidental Malay. Telling the story of Jasmine Leong, the workaholic scion of a billion ringgit bak kwa company, Phoenix, whose life changes when she discovers she is actually a Malay, the novel navigates tricky issues such as race, religion and identity in Malaysia - but ai...

With International Women’s Day falling on March 8, we pay tribute to women who write, by discussing the choice to consciously read more female authors - and the many things a reader gains by doing so. We further recommend books by some of our favourite women writers. Then in Footnotes, we talk about how the largest literary collection ever found in the UK - including manuscripts by the Brontës, Ja...

From classic tragedies to melancholy stories, there's just something about a book that can move you to tears, or evoke Big Feelings. In this episode, we discuss the craft behind writing a book that tugs at the emotions, and the pleasures of being a reader of these books, even when the experience can be difficult. And then in Footnotes, what makes the film adaptations of these books work, and when...

Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom revisits H.P. Lovecraft's short story The Horror at Red Hook, but from the point of view of a young black man living in 1920s New York. Far from being a straightforward tribute, the novella is instead an interrogation of Lovecraft's complicated legacy, taking on the racism present in the horror writer's work and flipping it in clever, complex, and sobering...

Yalpanam is a difficult book to describe - but at its heart, it's an imagery-rich exploration of hidden histories, memory and hauntings, as seen through the enigmatic central figure, a 185 year old woman, Pushpanayagi, living in a colonial-era home and a connection she forms with her 18-year-old neighbour, Maxim. We discuss the process of writing this book, and its language with author Shivani Siv...

Few writers have become emblematic of both children’s literature and controversy the way Judy Blume has - so much so, she’s been called one of the most frequently challenged authors of the 21st century. Not surprising perhaps, when you consider that her novels take on subjects that aren’t often addressed in books for young people, such as puberty, sexuality, religion, and divorce. But it is also f...

The Elephant Trophy and Other Stories is a collection of 18 short stories, taking a slice-of-life approach to depicting the nuances and experiences of the Indian community and diaspora in Malaysia. We speak to Paul GnanaSelvam about the stories, what inspires him as a writer, and why he enjoys writing shorter yarns. Then, in Footnotes, we review the book. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy in...

Some writers become emblematic not just of a particular type of writing, but of a whole era and culture. Joan Didion - who passed away on Dec 23, 2021 - was one such writer. While best known for her journalism and non-fiction writing, Didion also wrote numerous novels, screenplays, and plays. But more than that, her writing provided an incisive look at American culture and politics over several de...

We're kicking off the year by looking back at some of our favourite books and long reads of the year that was (2021), and looking ahead to some of our most anticipated publications of the year to be (2022). And then in Footnotes, we discuss our reading resolutions - what we'd like to continue, what we'd like to be better at, and perhaps some habits we're planning to kick to the curb. See omnystudi...

For our final book club of the year, we're discussing Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell's imagining of the love story between Agnes Hathaway and William Shakespeare, and the tragedy of the loss of their child, Hamnet. Playing with themes of agency, grief, and the undercurrents that connect life and art, it's a deeply poetic and emotional book. We're joined by theatre practitioner, Anne James, to talk about...

From The Jungle Book and Just So Stories, to The White Man's Burden, Rudyard Kipling's literary legacy is a complicated one. While his skill as a writer and storyteller is widely agreed upon, his love of empire and conservative politics makes him an interesting figure to discuss in the post-colonial context. In this episode of Bibliography, we dive into the life and times of Rudyard Kipling, and t...

What is it like being the daughter of Malaysia’s longest-serving Prime Minister? More specifically, what was it like for her to chart her own path that was often at odds with his, while also acknowledging the huge role he plays in her life? In her memoir, Marina Mahathir attempts to answer these questions with her own lens, taking us through events both personal and political from her childh...

Paolo Bacigalupi's 2010 novel The Windup Girl takes place in Bangkok in the 23rd century, in a world which has been ravaged by climate change, food scarcity, gene modification, and a dominance of companies owning the patents to seeds that can become much-needed crops. Add to that a plot with intrigue, betrayal and action, and you get a complex, dense read that has biopunk, dystopian overtones. We...

With our borders slowly opening up, and travel becoming a possibility again, we discuss the pleasures of travelling via the pages of a book - whether through travel guides, the more personal travel memoir, or fictional accounts of travel. In Footnotes, we discuss the 2021 Booker Prize for fiction. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the second year running, the George Town Literary Festival is taking place primarily online, with podcasts, videos and events taking the place of in-person events in Penang. We catch up with the festival's director Pauline Fan, to find out what they have in store, and how the lineup explores the theme of 'Mikro-cosmos'. And then in Footnotes, we discuss some feature articles we've enjoyed rece...

Has there been one single author who has shaped as many young readers as Enid Blyton? With Children’s Day just past, we’re dedicating this month’s Bibliography to the life and works of possibly the best-known children’s author of our time. We discuss her tumultuous life, her approach to writing, the various criticisms levelled her way over time - and of course, our own chil...

In conjunction with Halloween, we're celebrating all things spooky, chilling and horror-filled. To do this, we asked six readers to tell us what their favourite scary reads are, and the answers range from Japanese classics, Stephen King, and books that have their roots in social fears and anxieties. And then in Footnotes, we discuss gory books and stories, and how they contribute to tales of horro...