opinion
The death of the American novel?
17 July 2010

And, by extension, judging from the amount of white noise generated in the book world by Lee Siegel's piece in the New York Observer, 'Where Have All the Mailers Gone?', one would wonder the same about the anglophone novel. Maybe, death is an exaggeration. How about 'terminally ill' or 'comatose' then?

Most book people would have, by now, heard of critic Lee Siegel's declaration of that American novel dead, though, anyone who has read his story will know, that is not exactly what he said. His assertion is: " ... no one goes to a current novel or story for the ineffable private and public clarity fiction once provided ...' not because they don't exist but because readers no longer consider them relevant. He says, "Without a doubt, the next male or female Hemingway, Faulkner or Fitzgerald is out there somewhere, hard at work," but does anyone (meaning the public, not individuals) care?
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news
Waterstone's for sale?
17 July 2010

A story in the Daily Mail says that Simon Fox, chief executive of retailer HMV, has indicated that he would consider selling the Waterstone's book chain, though he said its disappearance would be 'tragic', in an interview with Financial Mail following the company's results. Waterstone's barely made a profit in the year up to April.
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news
Amazon now sells groceries
17 July 2010

A MacWorld report says, "Amazon.com has launched a grocery delivery service in the U.K., following the recent kickoff of a similar service in Germany."

Is this a sign of the times, or what? Last year there was a report of Borders selling children's 'educational'� toys. Guess, if Tesco can sell books, why can't Amazon sell salt and sugar? After all, they are both considered FMCGs -- fast moving consumer goods -- by the industry. Their competitors in UK are Tesco, Sainsburys and Waitrose that have overnight delivery services.
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news
History of chocolate
17 July 2010

This is not quite literary news, but what the heck.

Chocolate, a Mexican drink, is generally considered to be introduced to Europe in 1550, with July 7 declared Chocolate Day, the day the new world conquered the old. Cacao cultivation in Mexico, Central and South America dates back to at least 1250 BC according to archaeologists. The Mayans grew cacao trees in their backyards and brewed ceremonial drinks with it. In the fifth century, Aztecs drank xocoatl (bitter water) flavored with vanilla and chili pepper. (So the new fangled chili flavoured ones, one buys in Europe these days is nothing new!) The bean also served as legal currency in Aztec society. For example, one could buy a turkey for 100 cacao beans.
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new books
The Miserable Moon
17 July 2010

Author: Wong Ching Hsia, Illustrated by Tan Vay Fern

Mr Moon is miserable because he has no one to play with when everyone goes to sleep at night. Read more to find out how Mr Moon overcame his loneliness with a little help from some friends! Parents will love this book for its colourful illustrations and nibblets of 'Fun Facts'. A perfect little gift for children who like to learn new things!
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Stories
The Calculus of Happiness
17 July 2010

I suffered from arithmophobia as a child.

Of all the subjects taught in school, mathematics always made me lose all sphincters control. Numbers were peculiar to me when I was growing up. Sometimes they were odd. Sometimes they were even. And like us, they became complex as we moved from one age bracket to the next; eight was lucky; thirteen -- bad luck and four was invariably tied up with death, for the Chinese. Zero was versatile depending on the angle from which you viewed it. To some of us, certain number like thirty four, as I discovered one day over MSN, could indicate that time was running out.
Read more This short story has not been edited, or critiqued. Please be kind.

opinion
For Saramago, death is only an interval
1 July 2010

Jose de Sousa Saramago died on the 18 of June 2010, but apart from some bloggers, few in the country seemed to know, or care. I didn't see anything in the newspapers, not even in the 'books' section. Jose who? Exactly.

When I read the BBC report on my laptop aloud in the shop, several people said, "Oh, no," as if I had just announced the death of someone they knew personally. In a way, we all did. Someone suggested we close the shop for the day. Saramago wouldn't have liked that, I decided, and stayed open.

According to most reports, Saramago died of multiple organ failure after a long illness, although one said that he had breakfast and talked with his wife for a time before he was overcome by ill health and died.

Some regarded Saramago as the best writer in any language when he was alive.

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news
This book video is awesome
1 July 2010

Book Council (a not-for-profit organization that serves to promote more reading, foster a love of books and promote New Zealand authors) and produced by Anderson M Studio, this two-minute animation has won two Film Craft Lions awards at the Cannes Lions International Advertising Festival.

This is not computer generated work. It uses paper cutting -- cutouts and pop-ups -- and stop-motion animation. It is superb. Just watch it. The video is called Going West by New Zealand author Maurice Gee.

Read more Watch the video! You'll love it.

news
Stephen Hawking's new book
1 July 2010

When Stephen Hawking's first book on popular science, A Brief History of Time, was published on 1988, I remember I acquired it by mail order from the Good Book Guide. No apologies given, I am a nerd and I love mathematics and physics. (Call me names if you want). It was an idiot's guide to stuff like black holes, the Big Bang and light cones. Still, it was for very clever idiots who already had some grounding on some of the theory. It reportedly sold nine million copies, though it is questionable if all those who bought it read the book from cover to cover. It also made it to several best seller lists. Nice way to impress chicks, though. (I think it was after that that science books became popular, including Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything.)

A new book by Hawking (coauthored by Leonard Mlodinow), The Grand Design, is scheduled for release in September by Bantam Dell, and is reported to be on the "the ultimate mysteries of the universe." I will probably preorder it.

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new books
Rock 'n Roll Journal
1 July 2010

28 Hari: Jurnal Rock N Roll by Mohd Jayzuan

Tahun lepas, 23 Jun 2009, saya memulakan kembara selama 28 hari menggelilingi Semenanjung Malaysia. Tak berduit, jiwa kalut dan otak berserabut.

Tahun ini, 23 Jun 2010, saya ada buku bertajuk '28 Hari: Jurnal Rock n' Roll' yang mengisahkan tentang kembara tersebut. Alhamdulillah, berduit, jiwa tak bergelora dan otak tenang.

What others say:

Satu garapan segar dari angkatan bakat muda masakini -- Tembakau (cartoonist)

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events
Readings with Rock n roll
1 July 2010

Sang Freud Press and Silverfishbooks present Akustika 1 by Mohd Jayzuan, the author of 28 Hari: Jurnal Rock n' Roll. This first, in a series of readings with music, will be held at 4.00pm on the 24th of July, 2010 at Silverfish Books, 58-1 Jalan Telawi, Bangsar Baru, 59100 Kuala Lumpur and will include:

Theatre activist: Fazleena Hishammudin dan Fared Ayambr
Musicians: Beeha dan Keladakbr
Author: Mohd Jayzuan dan kawan-kawan dari kolektif Jargon.
Film maker: Razaisyam Rashid

Read more Open event

opinion
Translation blues
17 June 2010

The most common Malaysian joke about translation is probably tahi suci, a literal rendering of 'holy shit' in Bahasa. Whether that was really the part of a cinema subtitle, or is merely another urban legend, is unclear. Another example often cited by cinema aficionados is tembak, tembak for 'fire, fire'. Apparently, there were no guns involved in the story. (This problem is, by no means, confined to Malay. There are dozens of emails going around about Chinese translations. We were watching a presentation of the Beijing Opera at KLPac once. The organisers had helpfully decided to provide surtitles for the Cantonese illiterate, me included. Somewhere in the middle of the show, when an opera couple was frolicking in a make belief garden, a translation flashed, "... like butterflies fondling in the garden." It was certainly a good rendering of the Chinese opera (for neophytes like me), but that translation simply took my breath away. I was speechless. "What ... what ... whaaat?"

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SILVERFISH WRITING PROGRAMME: (16 Jan 2010)

(The date for the next intke will be announced soon. Pl watch this space.)

READ MORE aBOUT THE PROGRAMME

EVENTS: Silverfish Books’ Writers' Forum  (17 Jun 2010)

The next meeting  will be on Saturday, 7th of August 2010 at 2.30pm. As usual three people will read their works and present them for criticism and comment. This free forum will be held on the first Saturday of each month (as long as interest lasts) and is open to all. But we wish to emphasise that this is a forum for short prose only -- short stories, travelogues, biographies, reportage, etc. This is not a forum for poetry, plays, and movie or radio scripts. Please present them at other suitable fora.

Stories

This page was set up for Silverfish Writing Programme members to put up their stories for constructive criticism. But the internet being what it is, it has attracted participants from all over (including overseas). We will, however, for the moment confine the stories to those by Malaysians and about Malaysians.Read all

Editorial Services

Click below to find out our rates for citique and editorial services, including ghost writing, writing of company brochures, Souvenir and Commemorative Publications and Documents and Self Publishing.READ MORE

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About us

Silverfish Books was established in 1999 as an independent bookshop focusing on literature, philosophy, religion and Malaysiana -- areas which are either neglected or not addressed intelligently in the mainstream book stores. We are a bookstore for people who like to read by people who read. We like to think of ourselves as a book-boutique. All titles are individually selected and many are not available in any of the 'mega' stores anywhere.

At Silverfish Books we are committed  to good reading and good writing. On our website we have an on-line bookshop with a selection of 'Post-colonial' and Malaysian Literature in English. Silverfish Books is also a leading publisher of Malaysian Literature in English. The first book was Silverfish New Writing 1 -- an anthology of short stories from Malaysia, Singapore and beyond, which attracted post-colonial writers from all over the world – was published in the year 2000.

Every manuscript is read thoroughly, and must pass our stringent criteria (not necessarily commercial) before it is accepted and produced to the highest standards. We also organise book events, teach storytelling and offer editorial services. Our aim is to bring Malaysian writing to the world and the world writing to Malaysia. Our address is at the bottom of the page.

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Mon-Friday: 10.00am to 8.00pm
Saturday: 10.00am-6.00pm
Holidays: 10.00am to 6.00pm
Sunday and major holidays: Closed



Contact us: info@silverfishbooks.com

Links	Bookshops, publishers, blogspots, bookclubs, arts and stuff
apwn	Asia and Pacific Writers Network
	A literary blogspot
	A book club based in the Klang Valley
	Malaysia's leading performing arts website.
	The Necessary Stage is a non-profit theatre company
	Singapore Fringe Festival is an annual festival of theatre
	Monsoon Books is a Singapore-based independent publisher
Asiatic Journal	Journal on Asian Englishes and English writings
	Time Out  (Kuala Lumpur) is the definitive entertainment, arts, culture, couture and lifestyle.
	An English language learning website with several associated links.
	Asia-Pacific Writing Partnership bringing together writers, scholars, organisations, publisher