Through a literary lens

> Here are several books that explore the spirit of Malaysia, either based on historical fact, or through fictional characters

son Jasper, Johnny is really a crook who has betrayed many people.

Kampung Boy; Town Boy (Lat) If there was anyone who captured the essence of Malaysians, it was cartoonist Mohammad Nor Khalid, fondly known by all as Lat. Essentially, this artist and storyteller made us laugh at ourselves.

Kampung Boy (1979) was filled with anecdotes about his childhood where he enjoyed the simple things in life, while Town Boy (1981) captured his teenage years growing up in a big town.

From his serialised cartoon strips ( Scenes of Malaysian Life) that appeared in a local daily to his numerous books, Lat’s works are a must-read for every Malaysian.

Looking Back (Tunku Abdul Rahman Putra) This compilation of articles written by Malaysia’s first prime minister, and which were first published in a local daily, is a good read.

It offers a perspective of a bygone era as seen through the eyes of a man who played a big part in helping this country gain its independence.

Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan (Shahnon Ahmad) Translated in English by Adibah Amin as No Harvest But a Thorn, this book is the heartbreaking story of the life of farmers in a rural village.

It tells the story of Lahuma and Jeha and their seven children, and how tragedy and hardship follow them as they try to stay afloat.

There is also the underlying message about not holding on to the old ways.

A Doctor in the House: The Memoirs of Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad (Tun Dr Mahathir Mohamad) The fourth – and now seventh – prime minister of Malaysia writes about his career in politics, and his role in shaping this country into the modern nation we know today.

This 93-year-old statesman has also penned other books, such as The Malay Dilemma, written over a decade before his first turn as prime minister.

The Garden of Evening Mists (Tan Twan Eng) The protagonist is Teoh Yun Ling, a retiring judge and former prisoner of war of the Japanese during World War II, who gets a visit from a young Japanese man wanting to know more about a Japanese gardener she met decades ago.

The visit leads Teoh to reminisce about a time during the Malayan Emergency when she first met Aritomo, became his apprentice and eventually his lover.

The book was awarded the Man Asian Literary Prize and the Walter Scott Prize for Historical Fiction in 2012.

The Rice Mother (Rani Manicka) This is the story of Lakshimi who leaves her village in Ceylon at age 14 to live with her husband in Malaya, and who has five children by the time she is 19.

The story tells of her struggles to raise her family amidst the horrors of the Japanese Occupation, and of her efforts to rebuild a life for herself afterwards.