This collection offers a selection of short stories by Fatimah Busu, one of the foremost Malay women writers of the past century. A master of the short story form, Fatimah Busu is known for her bold subject matter, fresh approach to language, and idiosyncratic style. Her short stories offer an acute portrayal of the inner contradictions of Malay society, particularly the realities of women and men in rural Malaysia grappling with the forces of tradition and modernity, and the frailty of the human condition. The strong subjectivity and agency of women characters in her stories, as well as the unique perspective of children, offers a powerful counter-narrative to the literary landscape of Malay fiction dominated by male writers. Many of Fatimah Busu’s stories are set in her hometown of Kampung Pasir Pekan, Kelantan and are imbued with the vivid peculiarities of Kelantanese dialect, sensibility, and everyday life.
Translated from Malay by Pauline Fan, the ten short stories gathered here span from Fatimah Busu’s early work in the 1960s and 70s, to the height of her creative powers in the 1980s, into her mature period in the 1990s. This collection features a few of Fatimah Busu’s iconic short stories and several lesser known stories which underscore her distinctiveness of style and subject matter. Fatimah Busu’s evocative fiction blurs the boundaries of social realism, dreamscapes, apocalyptic visions, reimagined mythology, and magic realism. The stories gathered here have been translated into English for the first time.
‘For really there is nothing like wings for getting you into trouble. But, on the other hand, if you are in trouble, there is nothing like wings for getting you out of it.’
When five siblings – Cyril, Anthea, Robert, Jane and their baby brother, the Lamb – move to London with their parents, an extreme boredom threatens to take over them. Surprisingly, they discover a sand-fairy in their gravel pit.
The fairy grants them a wish a day which wears off at the day’s end. In an hilarious adventure, all the wishes the children make go ironically wrong.
They wish first for beauty, which causes a problem as no one at home recognises them and they are simply admired but not fed. Each time they land in a difficult mess, they must find creative ways to make it better.
In this brave, creative and endearing adventure, will the children learn that desires are more likely to get them in trouble than get what they want?
‘If you are lucky enough to be different, don’t you ever change…’
Jerry, Jimmy, and Cathy are three siblings out on a big adventure. While exploring, they stumble upon a mysterious castle with a beautiful princess asleep in the garden.
The princess shows them a secret room fi lled with treasure where they discover a magical ring, telling them that castle is full of magic. But they don’t believe her. The princess keeps scaring them with the potential of the magic, until the magic ring actually turns her invisible.
The princess panics. How will she become visible again? Will she come clean with her real identity and help the children find the true magic that’s held in the castle?
‘True courage is in facing danger when you are afraid…’
One minute young Dorothy is playing with her dog Toto, the next minute she’s flying.
A powerful tornado whisks her miles and miles away, dropping her into the mystical land of Oz where nothing is as it seems. Now she must follow the yellow brick road to Emerald City, to find the only person who can help her — the wonderful Wizard of Oz.
As Dorothy sets off on her strange quest, she is joined by a scarecrow who seeks a brain, a tin man who longs for a heart, and a cowardly lion who is desperate for some courage. Together with her newfound friends, Dorothy must embark on an exciting adventure, meeting a host of enchanting creatures along the way.
Will Dorothy ever get home? Or will the Wicked Witch of the West and her flying monkeys catch her first? Read The Wizard of Oz to find out.
We enter the world shaped by the blueprint of our existing family legacies, and intergenerational patterns which form our personalities, ways of being, acting and thoughts around our given stories.
Through our first experiences and relationships with parents, caregivers and our surroundings- we learn to determine our self-worth, expectations and decide what to expect and accept from others and the world. This sets the tone and template for our relationships with those around us, partners to come and how we derive purpose. In order to live with the lives we are given, we are taught to bury the overwhelming, confusing and shameful parts of ourselves.
The Glory in Us All explains through the stories of clients working with Dr. Cassandra Aasmundsen-Fry, a Clinical Psychologist, how the knowledge and life we have buried is responsible for making us feel stuck in our relationships, careers and search for fulfilment. Integrating the knowledge we have buried in relation to epigenetics, attachment , intergenerational trauma, mental health and denied needs allows us to embrace ourselves for the first time and enter into a fulfilling life with meaningful relationships, purpose and a sense of contentment.
The Glory of Us All is about unearthing and embracing the difficult parts to reconnect with ourselves and with hope.
‘I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship.’
Their father is at war, no one knows when he’ll be back. The four sisters, Meg, Jo, Beth, and Amy, with their Marmee set out to live a life which is full of gratitude, love, compassion, and family.
Jo March is rebellious and creative, Meg longs for a marriage and home of her own, Beth has the softest heart whose tunes can be heard in the angelic music she plays, and Amy dreams of a refined existence and home.
They face trials on the daily basis as women living alone in the 19th century, but with compassion, love and the spirit to find joy in the smallest chores, they make every day a celebration.
Marmee fills their lives with wisdom as underneath the joy they are all nursing a deep ache.
Little women is a heartwarming, sensitive and inspiring story of female strength, compassion and their ability to spread love.
‘The sea is everything…Its breath is pure and healthy. It is an immense desert, where man is never lonely, for he feels life stirring on all sides.’
Fascinated with the wonders of the sea, Professor Pierre Aronnax, a marine biologist, along with his loyal servant Conseil and the harpooner Ned Land, embarks on an expedition to search for a sea monster.
Their missions lead them to discover a technologically advanced submarine called the Nautilus, commanded by the enigmatic Captain Nemo.
The further Professor Pierre travels into the depths of the sea, his inner conflicts surface to life, as he releases ultimately his soul was seeking refuge from a world, he believed had wronged him.
The mesmerizing underwater world with exotic marine life and breathtaking landscapes is the perfect getaway for both Professor Pierre and the reader. The silence and calm invoke reflection into what is one’s purpose in life; and how must nature and humans share the planet. A thoughtful and cathartic read for all ages.
‘Science, my boy, is made up of mistakes, but they are mistakes which it is useful to make because they lead little by little to the truth.’
In a thrilling adventure follow the intrepid Professor Otto Lidenbrock, his young nephew Axel, and their Icelandic guide Hans Bjelke on an extraordinary expedition into the depths of the Earth itself, to explore the world beneath our feet.
Inspired by an ancient manuscript, Professor Lidenbrock believes that a passage to the Earth’s core exists within a volcano in Iceland. The trio descends into the unknown, facing treacherous landscapes, underground seas, and encounters with prehistoric creatures.
Their adventures spark an imagination and curiosity for the unknown, making the reader wonder about the endless possibilities that lie beyond the realms visible to us.
“Undoubtedly philosophers are in the right when they tell us that nothing is great or little otherwise than by comparison.”
Lemuel Gulliver was an ambitious and naïve ship surgeon, who believed people were heroes at heart with an inherent goodwill. All his beliefs shattered when he set out on an unusual adventure on remote islands inhabited by people and creatures of different sizes.
On the first Island, the Lilliputians only six inches tall, represent the dangers of petty partisanship. The Brobdingnagians, who are giants, show him the dangers of absolute power and the importance of humility. And the Houyhnhnms, the intelligent horses, show how important it is to have reason and virtue.
However, he eventually comes to realize that the none of them are perfect, and he begins to miss his own kind.
Will Gulliver’s travels make him realize that the human race has more vices than virtues? After a thrilling and endearing journey, will Gulliver return as a changed compassionate man?
“We must not think of the things we could do with, but only of the things that we can’t do without.”
Nostalgia is a true gift of life, the ability to relive warm and happy moments through memory is a true joy. Three Men in a Boat, is a delightful and humorous novel about an endearing friendship and all that makes life worth living.
A journey through the Thames River, the story follows three friends – Jerome, George, and Harris – as they embark on a boating expedition to escape the pressures of everyday life. The fun banter between the three friends and their ability to uplift each other adds to warmth of the story.
Their getaway is a reminder to take a break with those that make them smile and find joy in simple pleasures; follow the three men through their journey, in this charming story, and take a trip down the memory lane.
