Publisher: Marshall Cavendish International Asia Pte Ltd
Publication Date: 15 April 2011
Language: English
Print length: 208 pages
ISBN-10: 967303544X
ISBN-13: 9789673035441
Book Description
Of matriarchs, maidens, mistresses and matchmakers, Kebaya Tales is a delightful collection of short stories, teeming with fascinating and interesting characters, unexpected twists and turns, cultural rituals, beliefs and superstitions and poignant events in the life stories of the Peranakans. Lee Su Kim s latest book brings you into another world, a world that many know little about the world of the Babas and Nyonyas or the Straits Chinese, a colourful, flamboyant and unique community still in existence today in the former Straits Settlements of Malacca, Penang and Singapore. Like her previous books, Lee Su Kim s stories in this book are laced with humour and occasional gentle satire. All the stories are based on or are inspired by real-life events which Su Kim has collected from her nyonya mother, grandmother, bibiks and nyonyas. This is a first-ever collection of short stories of a unique cultural community, at the crossroads as to its very survival, but presently enjoying a tremendous resurgence. Su Kim s debut collection of stories are simply stunning and heartwarming, evocative of a bygone era and a cultural community renowned for its unique multicultural legacy.
Editorial Reviews
Review
These bitter sweet stories have the diaphanous quality of an embroidered lace trimmed Swiss voile kebaya blouse, the dark richesse of the buah keluak – the Peranakan rival to the French truffle- combined with the piquant zest of a freshly pounded sambal belachan. –Ilsa Sharp, Off The Edge, July 4 2011.
The stories are very readable and informative about a way of life that merits attention. Lee cleverly uses the book in a highly creative manner. In between her stories, she inserts pantun and popular ditties, which help to evoke the atmosphere of a bygone era. Of course, a review of Kebaya Tales that does not take into account Lee’s exciting collection of the seductive, translucent and embroidered top held together with beautifully-crafted golden clasps would be remiss indeed. For Peranakan aficionados, the collection, complete with informative captions, is an added bonus. –Dr Neil Khor, Starmag- The Star Malaysia, 16 January 2011
Laced with gentle humour and candour, the stories cannot fail to draw the reader in – I completed reading the book in a single seating, and found myself thirsting for more! Crafted around events and memories scandalous, momentous, heart-rending and even supernatural, the stories sparkle delightfully like the intan studding a nyonya’s kerosang, Lee also deftly captures moments that reflect our changing cultural mores, even down to delicate matters of the bedroom: brides everywhere can thank Feminism for no longer needing to present their mothers-in-law with the crimson evidence of their maidenhood! But I ll leave off sharing the stories here, lest I let slip more spoilers. Suffice to say that on the merit of their wit and insight alone, this book comes fully recommended. Pure reading pleasure from start to finish. –Emeric Lau, The Peranakan, Issue 1, 2011
About the Author
Lee Su Kim is the author of eight books including two bestsellers, Malaysian Flavours: Insights into Things Malaysian (2004) and Manglish: Malaysian English at its Wackiest (1998). Her recent book, A Nyonya In Texas: Insights of a Straits Chinese Woman in the Lone Star State (2007) is a hilarious account of crosscultural encounters between East and West. Su Kim is an Associate Professor of English at the School of Language Studies and Linguistics, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Bangi, Selangor. She obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Masters in Education from the University of Malaya, Kuala Lumpur and a Doctorate in Education from the University of Houston. She has presented papers at international conferences in Europe, the USA and Asia, and published widely on language and Identity issues. In October 2009, she was an invited writer to the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival at Ubud, Bali. Su Kim is of Straits Chinese (Peranakan) parentage. She is a founder member and the first woman President of the Peranakan Baba Nyonya Association of Kuala Lumpur & Selangor
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