Tuesday 18 June 2013

Here are 3 shorts by a new director named Yuga J Vardhan

He observes well, his empathy shines through and I am so glad he made them.

He is planning his first feature film (the final short here is a documentary sketch he made while researching it) and this is cause for even more optimism.





Friday 14 June 2013

My interview with Usman Awang from 1998



The above was published on 2 December 1998 in the New Straits Times
It was the only time I ever met him.

Almost 15 years later (who wouldda thunk it!) I now publish a collection of his short fiction and poetry:


I wanted the title to have 'nakal' because the word 'kenakalan' is the one I remember most from the introduction to a compilation of his which was published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, and which I read as a teenager. I thought it was an odd word to use for someone with the venerable title of Sasterawan Negara. But when I read the contents of that book (especially that poem with the pun on 'punai') I appreciated how apt it could be. (But it was much later that I came across his short story "Betisnya Bunting Padi" and was pleasantly startled by its – but I suppose this is a spoiler – homoeroticism). I initially thought of Kerja-Kerja Nakal as a title but the editor of this selection Hafiz Hamzah wisely changed it to Yang Nakal-Nakal.

Thanks so much to Haslina Usman for consenting to this project!

More details on Yang Nakal-Nakal here. It launches this Sunday