Archives: Authors

Frances Hodgson Burnett (1849-1924). Novelist and children’s writer, Hodgson Burnett’s reputation rests on her three famous children’s books, Little Lord Fauntleroy, A Little Princess and The Secret Garden.
Frances Hodgson was born in Manchester in November 1849, one of five children of a well-to-do manufacturer. After the death of her father the family fell upon hard times and in 1865 they emigrated to America. Frances, however, was not to forget about her life in Manchester and her first novel, Lass o’ Lowries (1877) tells of working-class life in Manchester.
It was while deciding on the lay-out for her garden at her home in Long Island that Frances conceived and wrote The Secret Garden (1911), probably her best and most enduring work. In it the garden acts as a means of health and as a symbol of the growing personality. She continued to write up until her death in 1924, a few weeks short of her seventy-fifth birthday.

Fatimah Busu is an award-winning Malaysian novelist, short-story writer, and academic. Born in 1943 in Kampung Pasir Pekan, Kelantan, she is considered one of the most formidable Malay women writers of her generation. Her award-winning short stories include Mawar Yang Belum Gugur (1971), Nasinya Tumpah (1972), and Anak-anak dari Kampung Pasir Pekan (1975). Her first novel, Ombak Bukan Biru, was published to acclaim in 1977, and was followed by other notable novels including Kepulangan (1980) and Salam Maria (2004). Fatimah is also known for her essays on comparative literature and literary criticism. Fatimah is the recipient of several literary awards including the Kelantan State Laureate in 2015. She rejected the prestigious SEA Write Award as a protest against the violence against Muslim communities in South Thailand. Fatimah is considered a somewhat controversial figure by mainstream literary circles, for her strong views and acute portrayals of the inner contradictions of Malay society.
Pauline Fan is a writer, literary translator and cultural researcher. She is creative director of cultural organisation PUSAKA and contributing editor of Mekong Review. Pauline’s translation of poems by Sarawak poet Kulleh Grasi, Tell Me, Kenyalang (Circumference Books, 2019), was shortlisted in the United States for the National Translation Award in Poetry and longlisted for the Best Translated Book Awards in 2020. Pauline’s literary translations from German to Malay include works by Immanuel Kant, Rainer Maria Rilke, and Paul Celan. Her prolific writings on culture and literature have been published in various international and local publications, including Axon: Creative Explorations, Mekong Review, Words Without Borders, Commonwealth Writers’ adda magazine, Esquire Malaysia, New Straits Times, Svara, and Dewan Sastera. Alongside Heather Green and Shook, she is a judge for the 2023 National Translation Award in Poetry. Pauline holds a Masters in German Literature from the University of Oxford.

Edith Nesbit was born in 1858. Her father died when she was only three and so her family moved all over England. Poverty was something she had known first hand, both as a child and as a young married woman with small children. Like the Railway Childrens’ Mother, she was forced to try and sell her stories and poems to editors. Her first children’s book, The Treasure Seekers, was published in 1899. She also wrote Five Children and It but her most famous story is The Railway Children which was first published in 1905 and it hasn’t been out of print since. Edith Nesbit was a lady ahead of her time – she cut her hair short, which was considered a very bold move in Victorian times, and she was a founding member of a group that worked towards improvements in politics and society called The Fabian Society. She died in 1924.

L. Frank Baum was born in New York in 1856. The Wizard of Oz, published in 1900, was based on a story he used to tell his own children. It became an international bestseller and was subsequently adapted into a stage play (1902) and a film starring Judy Garland (1939). Baum wrote thirteen further Oz books, alongside numerous other novels, short stories, scripts and poems. After his death in 1919, his publishers carried on producing Oz stories and didn’t stop until 1963.

Dr. Cassandra Aasmundsen-Fry, Psy.D is a Clinical Psychologist, with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology, whose career has been based in Boston, Massachusetts and is now practicing in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. She founded MindWell: Modern Psychology and Therapy, a mental health practice in bustling Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and is a practicing Psychologist who works with couples and individuals of all ages.
Dr. Aasmundsen-Fry specialises in working with trauma, complicated families and relationships and psychological issues that hold individuals back from experiencing purpose and contentment in their lives. She is a mixed race of European and Punjabi origin, dual citizen of the USA and Norway, with experience working with diverse individuals from Expats to Refugees. She is passionate about equal rights, diversity of thought, race and culture. Her approach to therapy and writing reflect the belief that we bury the best and worst parts of ourselves, but that embracing both allow ourselves to grow and realise our full potential.

Jonathan Swift was an Irish writer and clergyman best known for his satirical works, including Gulliver’s Travels, A Modest Proposal and A Tale of a Tub. He was born on November 30 1667 in Dublin, Ireland. His father, Jonathan Swift Sr, was a lawyer and his mother, Abigail Erick was the daughter of a clergyman. His mother moved back to England when he was just a year old leaving him in the care of his father’s family in Ireland. His father died when he was only seven years old. Swift had a difficult childhood as he was often sick and suffered from bouts of dizziness and vertigo. Despite this, he was a bright student and was eventually sent to Trinity College in Dublin to study. After graduating, Swift worked as a secretary for Sir William Temple, a statesman and writer. It was during this time that Swift developed his literary talents, and he began to write satirical essays and poems.

Jerome K Jerome was an English author and humourist, best known for his novel Three Men in a Boat. He was born on May 2 1859 in Walsall, Staffordshire, England. His father, a railway clerk, passed away when Jerome was only thirteen years old, which had a significant impact on his life. He started working as a railway clerk like his father but found the job unfulfilling and left after a few years to pursue a career in theatre. He joined a repertory company, travelling around England and honed his writing and acting skills. In 1885, Jerome moved to London and began working as a freelance journalist, writing articles for various newspapers and magazines. Jerome’s breakthrough came in 1889 with the publication of his novel Three Men in a Boat. The book was an instant success and quickly became a bestseller, making Jerome a household name.

Herman Melville was an American novelist, poet and a short story writer, best known for his novel, Moby Dick which is considered one of the greatest works of American literature. Herman Melville was born in New York City on August 1, 1819. Herman’s father had a successful import business which allowed the family to live in a fashionable part of New York City. In 1826, Herman’s father died leaving the family in financial turmoil. Despite him being good in academia, Herman’s family could not afford to send him to college. Instead at the age of eighteen, Herman signed up to work on a merchant ship bound for Liverpool, England. He spent many years at sea, travelling to far-off places like the South-Pacific and the Galapagos islands. This experience would inspire his later writing about the sea and the whaling industry.

Gustave Flaubert (1821–80). French novelist and man of letters who is now regarded as one of the great literary artists of the nine-teenth century.

Born in Rouen in 1821, Flaubert was the son of a highly successful provincial doctor. While training somewhat reluctantly to become a lawyer, he experienced the first of a number of nervous attacks that left him exhausted and forced him to abandon his studies. He returned to live at home where he was able to concentrate fully on his writing. Flaubert was so devoted to the perfection of his art that he renounced everything that interfered with his writing, including his love for Mme Louise Colet. After the tragic deaths of his father in late 1845 and his adored younger sister, Caroline, only a few weeks later, Flaubert found himself the head of the family.

Madame Bovary is generally recognized as Flaubert’s masterpiece and was supremely influential on later realist fiction, being a forerunner in some ways for the works of Zola, Chekhov, Joyce, Camus and Sartre.

Daniel Defoe was an English writer who is best known for his novel Robinson Crusoe, which was published in 1719 and is considered one of the earliest examples of the modern novel. It is believed that Defoe was educated at a dissenting academy in Newington Green, London, known for its liberal and nonconformist views. However, there are no official records of his attendance. At fourteen years old, he was sent to work as an apprentice to a merchant to learn the trade of commerce. After a few years, Defoe became involved in politics and journalism. He wrote political pamphlets and satirical essays, often under a pseudonym and was known for his plain and direct writing style. Defoe’s early experiences in trade and commerce would later influence his writing. His work has had a lasting influence on the development of the English novel, and he is considered one of the founders of the genre.