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"Dream and Swine and Aurora," "Deep in the Rubber Forest," "Fish Bones," "Allah's Will," "Monkey Butts, Fire, and Dangerous Things"—Ng Kim Chew's stories are raw, rural, and rich with the traditions of his native Malaysia. They are also full of humor and spirit, demonstrating a deep appreciation for human ingenuity in the face of poverty, oppression, and exile.
Ng creatively captures the riot of cultures that roughly coexist on the Malay Peninsula and its surrounding archipelago. Their interplay is heightened by the encroaching forces of globalization, which bring new opportunities for cultural experimentation, but also an added dimension of alienation. In prose that is intimate and atmospheric, these sensitively crafted, resonant stories depict the struggles of individuals torn between their ancestral and adoptive homes, communities pressured by violence, and minority Malaysian Chinese in dynamic tension with the Islamic Malay majority. Told through relatable characters, Ng's tales show why he has become a leading Malaysian writer of Chinese fiction, representing in mood, voice, and rhythm the dislocation of a people and a country in transition.
Ng Kim Chew was born in Johor, West Malaysia, and lives in Taiwan, where he is a professor of Chinese literature at National Chi Nan University. His short story collections include Dreams, Pigs, and Dawn; Dark Nights; From Island to Island: Carved Spins; Earth and Fire: The Land of the Malay People; and Memorandums of the South Seas People's Republic. He has won numerous awards for his fiction, including the United Daily Literary Award and the China Times Literary Award.
Carlos Rojas is associate professor of Chinese cultural studies, women's studies, and arts of the moving image at Duke University. He is the translator of Yan Lianke's Lenin's Kisses and The Four Books, which won the Franz Kafka Prize, and, with Eileen Cheng-yin Chow, has translated Yu Hua's two-volume novel, Brothers, which was short-listed for the Man Asian Literary Prize.
Introduction: Ng Kim Chew and the Writing of Diaspora
The Disappearance of M
Dream and Swine and Aurora
Death in the South
Deep in the Rubber Forest
Fish Bones
Allah's Will
Monkey Butts, Fire, and Dangerous Things
Supplication
Untouchable
Slow Boat to China
Supplement
Inscribed Backs