Malaysian Writers in Singapore
I wish I could say they – or rather their books – are everywhere in Singapore. But the truth is, they (the books, specifically Kam Raslan’s Confessions of an Old Boy) were hard to find even in the bookshops. I had to go to the information counter to ask if the book was available in the shop.
Well, yes, Dato’ Hamid is available in both Borders and Kinokuniya in Singapore, but not where it should be. In Borders Singapore, Dato’ Hamid is shelved in the “Southeast Asian History” section, right next to his brother Karim’s Ceritalah. When I told the customer service person who took me to that section that the book is actually fiction, she said well, maybe it’s based on history. Which would make it historical fiction, and not … oh, never mind.
Can you see Dato’ Hamid in the picture below? (Clue – purple)
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In Kinokuniya (Ngee Ann City outlet), Dato’ Hamid can be found in the “Culture & Tradition” section, along with Lee Su Kim’s A Nyonya in Texas, Lydia Teh’s Honk! If You’re Malaysian, and Adibah Amin’s two-volume As I was Passing.
If you’re looking for Antares’ Tanah Tujuh and Zhang Su Li’s A Backpack and A Bit of Luck, you’ll find them correctly shelved in the “Anthropology” section and the “Travel” section in Borders Singapore.
Dina Zaman’s I Am Muslim is also correctly shelved in the “Religion” section in both Borders Singapore and Kinokuniya (Ngee Ann City). There’s also a bonus – at Borders Singapore, I Am Muslim is featured in a display, “Insights to Islam” , and in good company, too, with Karen Armstrong’s Muhammad, as well as Irshad Manji’s The Trouble with Islam Today, Ed Husain’s The Islamist, and Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s Infidel.
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However, both Borders Singapore and Kinokuniya (Ngee Ann City) are still carrying the “First Printing” edition of I Am Muslim.
