Writing in Asia Series
Writing in Asia Series was a series of books of Asian writing published by Heinemann from 1966 to 1996. Initiated and mainly edited by Leon Comber, the series brought attention to various Asian Anglophone writers, like Shirley Geok-lin Lim, Western writers based in Asia like Austin Coates and W. Somerset Maugham and modern and classic stories and novels in English translation from the Malay, Indonesian, Thai and more. The series is also credited with contributing prominently to creative writing and the creation of a shared regional identity amongst English-language writers of Southeast Asia.[1][2] After publishing more than 110 titles, the series folded after Heinemann Asia was taken over by a parent group of publishers and Comber left.[3]
History[]
Inspired by the successful and pioneering African Writers Series, Leon Comber, the then Southeast Asian Representative of Heinemann Educational Books Ltd., founded the series as its general editor in 1966 in Singapore. Comber thought a similar series focussing initially on Southeast Asia was worth pursuing to "give a tremendous boost to creative writing in English...which was still regarded then as something of a cultural desert". He also wanted to publish the "tremendous body of local writers writing in their local languages" across the entire Asia in English translation "to make it available to a wider reading public" as he felt that existent publishers only focussed on their individual countries.
Buoyed by the profits made from textbook publishing, the series first published in 1967. The anthology, whose stories were edited and mainly translated into English by with a foreword by Han Suyin, sold moderately, but Ly was to be detained without trial shortly after by the Singapore authorities under the Internal Security Act for supposed "Chinese chauvinism".
The series met with commercial success a decade later when two reprinted Austin Coates books in the series, (1977, c.1968) and (1977, c.1960), became bestsellers. The former was also serialised by the BBC, broadcast on Radio Hong Kong and had its film rights sold, while the latter was adapted into a play at the 1978 . Other commercially successful titles were 's autobiography (1972), which sold over 25,000 copies, and Catherine Lim's short-story collection Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore (1978), which sold 8,000 copies.[4] By 1988, about 15 titles in the series were used as supplementary textbooks in Singapore schools, guaranteeing sales in the thousands.[5][6]
Significantly, as part of the series, Australian Harry Aveling translated Pramoedya Ananta Toer's novel (Perburuan) (1975, c.1950) and Iwan Simatupang's novel (Ziarah) (1969) from the Indonesian to English. The Pilgrim is considered the first modern Indonesian novel and won the first for the novel in 1977. The series also met with critical acclaim when Shirley Geok-lin Lim's debut collection (1980) won the Commonwealth Poetry Prize, a first both for an Asian and for a woman. The series also published the debut titles of pioneering Singapore poets like Edwin Thumboo and Lee Tzu Pheng.
In 1982, however, , the then General Manager of Heinemann Educational Books, confirmed that the series had stopped publishing poetry because of poor sales.[7][8] In 1985, after publishing more than 70 titles, Comber left the series after Heinemann Asia was taken over by a parent group of publishers. In retrospect, Comber notes that in business terms, Heinemann made "very little" from the series, though it neither lost much, with textbook publishing sales subsidising the series.[9] The series continued until around 1996, resuming publishing poetry and diversifying its focus beyond literary fiction to ghost stories.
Some Writing in Asia series titles have since been republished by other companies, like Lloyd Fernando's novel Scorpion Orchid (1976) by Epigram Books in 2014.[10]
List of authors and books in the Writing in Asia Series[]
This list is incomplete; you can help by . (April 2016) |
No. | Author | Year | Title and Details |
---|---|---|---|
1 | , ed. | 1967 | . Anthology translated from the Mandarin Chinese by Ly Singko and Leon Comber with a foreword by Han Suyin. |
2 | Lloyd Fernando, ed. | 1968 | . Anthology. Contributors include Siew Yue Killingley, Goh Poh Seng and Stella Kon. |
3 | Iwan Simatupang | 1969 | (Ziarah). Novel translated from the Indonesian by Harry Aveling. Winner of the 1977. |
4 | W. Somerset Maugham | 1969 | . Edited and with an introduction by Anthony Burgess. |
5 | Leon Comber, trans. | 1972 | |
6 | 1972 | . First part of autobiography. Rendered into English in collaboration with Austin Coates. | |
7 | Wang Shifu | 1973 | The Romance of the Western Chamber. Translated and adapted by T. C. Lai and Ed Gamarekian, with a foreword by Lin Yutang. Originally published in 1200. |
8 | 1974 | . Short stories and a novella. | |
9 | 1974 | . Second part of autobiography. Rendered into English in collaboration with Austin Coates. | |
10 | , ed. | 1975 | . Translated from the Thai and with an introduction by Jennifer Draskau. |
11 | Pramoedya Ananta Toer | 1975 | (Perburuan). Novel translated from the Indonesian by Harry Aveling, originally published in 1950. |
12 | 1975 | . Third and final part of autobiography. Rendered into English in collaboration with Austin Coates. | |
13 | & Duncan Mackintosh, trans. | 1976 | . Originally published in 1974. |
14 | Edwin Thumboo, ed. | 1976 | . With an introduction by Edwin Thumboo. Contributors include Ee Tiang Hong, , Wong May and Arthur Yap. |
15 | W. Somerset Maugham | 1976 | . Selected by . |
16 | Lloyd Fernando | 1976 | Scorpion Orchid. Novel. |
17 | Goh Poh Seng | 1976 | . Poetry. |
18 | Raden Adjeng Kartini | 1976 | . Translated by , edited and with an introduction by Hildred Geertz and with an introduction by Eleanor Roosevelt. Originally published in 1912. |
19 | Ee Tiang Hong | 1976 | . Poetry. |
20 | Harry Aveling, ed. | 1976 | . Translated from the Indonesian by Harry Aveling. |
21 | Lin Yutang | 1977 | . Originally published in 1935. |
22 | Jan Knappert | 1977 | |
23 | Austin Coates | 1977 | . Memoir, originally published in 1968. |
24 | Robert Yeo | 1977 | . Poetry. |
25 | Edwin Thumboo | 1977 | . Poetry. |
26 | Arthur Yap | 1977 | . Poetry. |
27 | Goh Poh Seng | 1977 | The Immolation. Novel. |
28 | Syed Waliullah | 1978 | Tree Without Roots. Novel. Originally published in 1948. |
29 | Robert Yeo, ed. | 1978 | . With an introduction by Robert Yeo and notes by Tan Swee Kheng. Contributors include Catherine Lim, Gopal Baratham and Goh Sin Tub. |
30 | 1978 | . Poetry. | |
31 | Cecil Rajendra | 1978 | . Poetry. |
32 | Edith L. Tiempo | 1978 | |
33 | Thakazhi Sivasankara Pillai | 1978 | Chemmeen: A Novel About India. Translated by Narayana Menon, with an introduction by Santha Rama Rau. Originally published in 1964. |
34 | , ed. | 1978 | |
35 | Iwan Simatupang | 1978 | (Drought). Novel translated from the Indonesian by Harry Aveling, originally published in 1972. |
36 | Danarto | 1978 | . Short stories translated from the Indonesian by Harry Aveling. |
37 | Catherine Lim | 1978 | Little Ironies: Stories of Singapore |
38 | Ediriwira Sarachchandra | 1978 | . Novel. |
39 | Edwin Thumboo | 1979 | Ulysses by the Merlion. Poetry. |
40 | Yasmine Gooneratne, ed. | 1979 | . With an introduction by Yasmine Gooneratne. |
41 | Shahnon Ahmad | 1979 | . Novel translated from the Malay by Harry Aveling. Originally published in 1973. Winner of the 1970. |
42 | Yasmine Gooneratne, ed. | 1979 | |
43 | 1979 | . Novel. | |
44 | , ed. | 1979 | . Translated from the Chinese by Stanley R. Munro. Contributors include Ba, J., Bing, X. and Ding, L. |
45 | 1979 | . Novel. Rendered into English in collaboration with Austin Coates. | |
46 | Hwang Sun-Won | 1980 | . Translated from the Korean and with an introduction by Edward W. Poitras. |
47 | 1980 | . Translated from the Korean by Richard Rutt. | |
48 | Arthur Yap | 1980 | . Poetry. |
49 | , trans. | 1980 | |
50 | Shahnon Ahmad | 1980 | . Translated from the Malay by Harry Aveling. |
51 | Umar Kayam | 1980 | . Translated from the Indonesian by Harry Aveling. |
52 | 1980 | . Novel. | |
53 | Ishak Haji Muhammad | 1980 | (Putera Gunung Tahan). Translated from the Malay by Harry Aveling. |
54 | F. Sionil José | 1980 | |
55 | Jan Knappert | 1980 | |
56 | Lee Tzu Pheng | 1980 | . Poetry. Winner of the 's Book Award for English Poetry 1982. |
57 | , ed. | 1980 | |
58 | Linda Ty-Casper | 1980 | Dread Empire. Novella. |
59 | Catherine Lim | 1980 | Or Else, the Lightning God & Other Stories |
60 | Shirley Geok-lin Lim | 1980 | . Poetry. Winner of the Commonwealth Poetry Prize. |
61 | 1981 | . With a foreword by C. Sircar. | |
62 | Robert Yeo, ed. | 1981 | . Anthology. Contributors include Gopal Baratham, Stella Kon and Rebecca Chua. |
63 | Lloyd Fernando, ed. | 1981 | . Anthology with an introduction by Lloyd Fernando. |
64 | A. Samad Said | 1981 | (Sungai Mengalir Lesu). Novel translated from the Malay by Harry Aveling. Originally published in 1967. |
65 | 1981 | . Novel. | |
66 | & | 1981 | . Originally published in 1973. |
67 | Rebecca Chua | 1981 | |
68 | 1981 | ||
69 | K.S. Maniam | 1981 | . Novel. |
70 | 1981 | ||
71 | 1981 | ||
72 | 1982 | ||
73 | Oh Yong-su | 1985 | . Translated from the Korean by Marshall R. Pihl. |
74 | 1985 | ||
75 | 1985 | ||
76 | 1986 | . Novel. | |
77 | Arthur Yap | 1986 | |
78 | Robert Yeo | 1986 | . Novel. |
79 | Goh Sin Tub | 1987 | . Originally published in 1986 as . |
80 | Catherine Lim | 1987 | |
81 | Goh Sin Tub | 1987 | |
82 | Ediriwira Sarachchandra | 1987 | . Novel. |
83 | Nalla Tan | 1989 | . Short stories. |
84 | Goh Sin Tub | 1989 | . Novel. |
85 | 1989 | ||
86 | 1990 | ||
87 | Goh Sin Tub | 1990 | . Short stories. |
88 | Othman Wok | 1991 | |
89 | 1991 | . Novel. | |
90 | 1991 | . Short stories. | |
91 | Goh Sin Tub | 1991 | . Short stories. |
92 | 1991 | ||
93 | Lin Yutang | 1992 | . Originally published in 1937. |
94 | 1992 | ||
95 | 1992 | . Originally published in 1974. | |
96 | & | 1992 | |
97 | , ed. | 1992 | . Contributors include Gopal Baratham, Arthur Yap and Nalla Tan. |
98 | Catherine Lim | 1992 | Deadline for Love and Other Stories |
99 | Catherine Lim | 1992 | . Poetry. |
100 | 1993 | ||
101 | Goh Sin Tub | 1993 | |
102 | 1993 | ||
103 | Catherine Lim | 1993 | . Short stories. |
104 | Robert Raymer | 1993 | Lovers and Strangers. Short stories. |
105 | 1993 | ||
106 | 1993 | . Novel. Originally published in 1992. | |
107 | Goh Poh Seng | 1994 | If We Dream Too Long. Novel originally published in 1972. Winner of the 's Fiction Book Award 1976. |
108 | 1994 | . Short stories. | |
109 | Goh Sin Tub | 1994 | |
110 | 1994 | . Novel. | |
111 | 1994 | . Novel. | |
112 | 1994 | ||
113 | 1995 | . Novel. | |
114 | 1996 |
See also[]
References[]
- ^ Patke, Rajeev S.; Holden, Philip (2009). The Routledge Concise History of Southeast Asian Writing in English. Routledge. p. 81. ISBN 9781135257620. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Behind the Book". Singapore Press Holdings. Straits Times. 28 February 1982. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ Comber, Leon (1991). Asian Voices in English. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 79–86. ISBN 9622092829. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Behind the Book". Singapore Press Holdings. Straits Times. 28 February 1982. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ Chia, Helen (13 August 1988). "Bookends: Charles Cher". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ Chua, Rebecca (6 September 1986). "So you want to be an author". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ John, Alan (30 August 1982). "Behind the awards". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ "Book honours for two poets". Singapore Press Holdings. The Straits Times. 4 September 1982. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- ^ Comber, Leon (1991). Asian Voices in English. Hong Kong University Press. pp. 79–86. ISBN 9622092829. Retrieved 10 April 2016.
- ^ "Scorpion Orchid". Epigram Books. Retrieved 11 April 2016.
- Series of books
- Heinemann (publisher) books