JANUARY 20 — I was quite excited late last year to learn that Felicia Yap’s thriller will be released later this summer. Ms Yap does not even appear to have had any literary training, she is a biologist! 

Yet her first work has publishing houses racing to publish it with a promising six-figure remuneration. I am sure film deals can’t be long behind! 

I am an aspiring fiction writer myself with a notebook full of ideas but sadly, that is the extent of my development. I cannot even finish a satisfying chapter for some reason so I have deep respect for writers who complete their projects and cause a sensation even before they actually get published.

Malaysia has tremendous potential for literature. Both in Malay (which can be translated albeit carefully so as to not lose the original meaning) and of course, in English. 

Growing up, I read the works of several Malaysian writers who wrote in the 60s and 70s. I remember this particular story about a Malaysian Chinese family who faced tremendous hardship living in 60 KL. 

The daughter of the family falls in love with an Indian, something rather taboo at the time. Looking back, I wonder why this particular title is now unavailable. Ditelan zaman, as the Malays say. 

Being an avid horror fan, I have seen the rise and ultimate "mundane-ification” of Thai horror over the years. Around 20 years ago, when the Japanese sensation Ring hit the cinemas, Thai horror movies were right up there as well. 

Fantastic films such as Nang Nak and Shutter really awakened the Western imagination with regards to Asian horror stories. Malaysian horror writers now have a fertile field to plant their writing projects. But please, let’s try to go beyond the ubiquitous pontianak, shall we?

Apart from the horror genre, I feel that books which touch upon the fringe experiences of Malaysians would receive great media attention. 

In this particular socio-cultural milieu, alternative gender and sexualities fit the bill very well. This would be redoubled by the fact that these identities are less accepted in Malaysia than they are in the West. 

Here, when a gay or trans person writes an autobiography, it would take more elements for it to become a sensation. That person would have to be from a particular religion or culture, for example. 

If a similar work came from Malaysia and was juxtaposed with our socio-cultural milieu, I feel that it could make a tremendous impact on Western audiences. It would be a truly human narrative in search of authenticity.

Another interesting genre would be writings which reflect our changing culture. My favourite period is the rapid urbanisation where the mass migration took place in the 1970s and 80s. I remember reading Malay novels in my youth which reflect that period. 

The changing mindset of the Malays, their evolving identities and the birth of new ones (orang kampung and orang kota) and the erosion of traditional values. 

Admittedly, these writings would not be as sensational as Felicia Yap’s novel but rest assured, there are literary fans who would just lap this up!

I would also think that the political situation in Malaysia calls for some literary treatment. Malaysia, being a multi-cultural and multi-religious society and being dominated by racial politics since its birth, has probably thousands of stories to tell. 

What about stories of friendships across these divides which were affected by racialised politics? These are stories which are worth telling and are actually becoming more relevant thanks to a more conservative milieu the world is experiencing.

Indeed, Malaysia, like any nation with a history, has plenty of stories to tell. The key is to encourage the writings of these stories at an early stage and to create bodies which can help these writers learn how to get their works published. 

We can indeed have a presence on the world stage. 

* This is the personal opinion of the columnist.