Opinion

"... there is a widespread belief that doctrinal uniformity is essential to national strength," Bertrand Russell wrote in his treatise on power in 1938. But he also said, "... the most successful nations, throughout modern times, have been those least addicted to the persecution of heretics."

I remember reading these years ago when I was in school, and I wondered if Russell's views can somehow be proven wrong, without anyone noticing, that is. In Malaysia, 'book police' are back in the news after a short absence. Interestingly, this has happened very soon after Sister in Islam (SIS) won its court battle over the 'banning' of one of its books. Sorry for the cynicism, but one cannot help but wonder. It could be a coincidence, of course, but Malaysia does have a pretty long track record for 'censorship by harassment'.

Censorship is probably as old as writing itself, but it took on a whole new dimension from the 12th to the 16th century in Europe. Basically, reading was outlawed to all but the clerics since they were the only ones allowed to interpret the Bible. Lay people were lay people, sheep, or rakyat, not endowed with enough intelligence to make any decision for themselves. With the invention of the Gutenberg press and the printing of the Gutenberg Bible, things really came to a head. In theory, any lay person who could read, or was suspected of being able to do so, or, god forbid, be in possession of a Bible, was arrested, imprisoned, tortured and/or killed by various methods including being burnt at the stake, hanged, drawn and quartered, pulled apart by horses, drowned, impaled, and several other creative means. In reality, many were political opponents, or those who had gone out of favour, or merely casualties of random victimisation. By some estimates, 9 million people lost their lives, and many more -- presumably those who repented -- were left lame.

We all know how that ended. 'Censorship through terror' did not work then, and never has. Throughout history, 'book police' have always lost. But that does not seem to stop them.

Certainly, our own home grown variety of 'book police' are not quite that crude. Some years ago, we put up a list of so-called banned books on our website, 'so-called' because many were not actually banned by the Ministry. We do not know what actually happened in the background after that, but we can guess. All of a sudden there was a deafening silence from every direction; book distributors refused talk to us, especially about that dreaded 'b' list. It was as if omerta, a code of silence, had come into force. Many books we wanted to order became unavailable. Many distributors refused to import books for us, even if we paid them in advance, particularly if it had a 'banned' word in the title, or on the possibility that cover design could offend one ultra-sensitive individual living in Batang Berjuntai, or somewhere. (No prizes for guessing the words.)

The recent confiscation of multiple copies of several titles from bookshops around the country is interesting. Firstly these books have been in the market for over a year and anyone who wants one has already bought it. It could be another case of closing the stable doors after the horses have gone, something we do have a track record for. Or, it could be something more sinister.

Why do enforcement officers -- what an ostentatious name, indeed -- need to take multiple copies of a book if they only want to 'read them' for anything prejudicial to the security of the country, even if they say please. Wouldn't one copy do? Couldn't they get one from the publishers?

Recently, several copies of the first two titles were taken from one outlet of a chain stores on grounds that the books might have 'suspicious content'. A memo went out to its other outlets to have them all to be removed from the shelves. Diabolical, but effective. The bookstore will get a credit note from the distributor, who will in turn get one from the publisher. And the bookstore will, in future, be very hesitant to sell other titles by the same authors, or from the 'offending' publisher. (Remember the Salman Rushdie incident: although only one title is officially banned, all others have become endangered species in the country.) Why bother to ban books and have that gazette challenged in court, when this is so much more effective?

Inquiries are probabley a waste of time, omerta might already be in force.

Labels: Censorship

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Reading Motoko Rich's story, The Book Club With Just One Member, I couldn't help thinking that she was writing about me. I love to read, but I really do not like to talk about books I read, which puts me a bind sometimes, being a bookseller and a publisher. When people walk into the store and ask me for a good read, it is quite easy. But when they ask me what the book is about, I get stumped. First of all, does a book have to be about something? Secondly, a good book is about many things, all at the same time, and that is its beauty. And different people will walk away from it taking different things with them, and the book will still remain whole. But, usually, I can tell them quite easily what a book is not about: it is not self-help, it is not management, and so on.

Fortunately, most of my customers do not expect a blow-by-blow account of the entire plot. All I need to tell them is how the prose leaves a pleasant after-taste in the mouth, or how full-bodied and big it is, or warn them that 'this is strong stuff'. Yes, it is almost like describing wine. Most understand, even love my suggestions, but a few will still want to know, "So, what is the story about?"

I have never liked taking apart a book, even when I was young, particularly ones I liked, I considered good. Thank God I didn't major in literature. All that deconstruction would have killed it for me. I often recommend good books to others, of course, but a 'you must read this' or a 'read this and tell me what you think' will be the extent of my spin. And all I would want in response would be a 'wow' or an 'oh my God!'. In my world, good books must be savoured and enjoyed whole, not talked about to death.

Certainly, I am obsessive. I do understand book clubs and the roles they play, and why people like to join them, even online ones. Why, I have even helped organise several, but I have preferred not to become a member of any. If I read something and I like, or can relate to a line, a sentence, a phrase or even a word, I do not like to strip it, take it apart, and parade it naked in front of a dozen prying eyes in public. Go on now, go! Go find your own personal moment, line, phrase, word or whatever! Go, parade that all you want, if you want. For me, let me enjoy my private moments with my books, moments that will live with me for years, or decades. I might mention it to someone special, someone close, someone whom I know will understand, in private as if at a confession. But, I would prefer not to go starkers in public.

So, that is why I do not join book clubs. Please do not misunderstand. It is nothing personal. Please join as many clubs as you want, and enjoy them. As Motoko Rich says, "The collective literary experience certainly has its benefits. Reading with a group can feed your passion for a book, or help you understand it better. Social reading may even persuade you that you liked something you thought you didn't."

But I am different. You might have heard the saying, "If you can talk about it, it ain't Tao." Or, to quote Louis Armstrong, "If you have to ask what jazz is, you'll never know." Reading, for me, is like that. It is a total body experience.

Read Motoko Rich's story in the New York Times
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OPINION: Read more local literature?

As reported by Lester Kong in The Star: "Malaysian youths must be exposed to more local literature that highlight noble values like respect and responsibility", said Education Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin, in his opening speech during the 18th HSPM (Malaysia Premier Literary Award) prize-giving ceremony on the 18th of January 2010.

“Reading high-quality literature needs to be encouraged because it is the best way to inculcate the culture of knowledge and instil positive values in our youths,” the Minister of Education is reported to have said, which makes one wonder who wrote that speech? Interesting sound bites, but the cynic in one does not expect anyone to hold his (or her) breath. Haven't we heard all this before?

It was another one of those 'don't know whether to laugh or cry' moments Malaysians are becoming increasingly familiar with. Get this: this was an awards ceremony for books in Bahasa Malaysia that were published in the 2004/2005 and the 2006/2007 period! Now, how sad is that! They were giving out prizes for five-year-old publications, many of which are probably out of print by now. Was someone sleeping on the job or was it not considered important enough?

According to kawat.blogspot.com, out of the 40 awards for the 2006/2007 period, there were no recipients for seven categories, the most glaring of which was 'Drama'. Was there not even one drama written or produced in Bahasa at all in 2007/2008? Or was there no 'acceptable' drama? (If Singaporeans can stage good dramas in Bahasa, why not Malaysians?) Also in this 'no show' category were short stories and poems for youths and children. Looks like nobody writes these, either. One question comes to mind though: were these awards only given to books published by DBP? How about all books published by all publishers in Bahasa (including those from the fringe)? And if we truly want to give out Malaysian Literary Awards, how about including all books published in all languages in Malaysia, some of which have received international acclaim (not to mention awards)?

The Minister also called on creative workers to take advantage of loans under the RM200mil Creative Industry Fund announced in the 2010 Budget, challenging local writers and publishers to enter the global literature market.

This is an extract from the 2010 budget speech by the Prime Minister under

PROMOTING CREATIVE INDUSTRY:

57. The creative industry has the potential to be further developed and contribute to economic growth. This industry encompasses performing arts and music, design animation, advertisement and content development. To coordinate the development of the various segments of the industry, the Government will

First Formulate a comprehensive Creative Industry policy for the development of the creative industry;

Second Establish a RM200 million Creative Industry Fund to finance activities such as film and drama productions, music, animation, advertisement and local content development. The fund managed by Bank Simpanan National will provide soft loans. The loan application procedure will also be simplified; and

Third Establish Tabung Kebajikan Penggiat Seni to ensure the welfare of artistes. For this, a launching grant of RM3 million will be provided.

Has anyone seen any rules for this? In our minds, jaded by decades of conditioning, one would automatically assume that those who create in English, Chinese and Tamil need not apply. Would that be a wrong assumption?

Labels: Publishing

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One report says that not since Moses came down from Mount Sinai has there been this much excitement over a bunch of tablets. Though no one knows if something like this even exists (Apple refuses to comment officially) it has been described as an "iPhone on steroids", as "some sick shit" with "out of control" multi-touch gestures (all serious compliments in geek-speak). It was the undisputable star at the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, the biggest and most influential consumer electronics exposition in the world, and the thing (if it exists) was not even on show! (Apple Inc, does not participate in the annual CES nor, of late, even at the (privately organised) MacWorld Expo, a show devoted to products manufactured by the company.)

It is as if one cannot read a single tech site without running into another iTablet or iSlate rumour. Even the Wall Street Journal and several other non-tech newspapers and magazines seem to be in the act. Chris Maxcer of MacNewsworld writes: "As the Apple tablet rumour frenzy blows way past the level of a fever pitch, I'm starting to reconcile myself with the notion that we may -- within a few weeks -- finally hear from Apple. The company is widely expected to make a public announcement Jan 27 or so, though again, the expectation isn't due to Apple, it's due to a report stating the company has rented a stage at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco ... What might Apple announce?"

Exactly. So, what might Apple announce? Its first quarter results? At this year's CES, there were three tablet PCs on offer: one HP tablet running Windows 7 that supports multitouch and an accelerometer (like the iPhone and the iPod Touch) that will be released in mid year selling for around USD500, and others from Pegatron and Archos -- no info. I watched a video of Steve Balmer (CEO of Microsoft) introduce the HP device at the end of his keynote address. The device looked like a Kindle wannabe that had been hijacked for the show just to beat an Apple announcement, in case there is one. The devices looked lame, and the charade was sad.

The ebook is, of course, the gadget of the moment and everyone wants to ride the bandwagon. (Amazon announced that they sold more ebook downloads than physical books for the first time on Chrismas Day, 2009, though they didn't give out numbers or details. They are good with smoke and mirrors.) Among the ebooks out in the market, Barnes & Noble has the Nook at USD259, Amazon the new Kindle DX that will cost USD489, Samsung has announced E6 and E101 selling at USD399 and USD699, respectively, and Plastic Logic will be selling two Que proReader units for USD649 (4 GB) and USD799 (8 GB).

Over all these looms the huge shadow of the Apple iTablet, a gadget that does not yet exists in any shape or form, but one which everyone is sure will be announced soon. Speculated to cost between USD700-USD900, it has spooked an entire industry. No one dares to breathe, no one dares to make a sudden movement, or any movement. The whole scene is almost comical. No, it is all so hilariously funny. No one can prove it is there, but everyone is sure it is, and they all wait with bated breaths for Zeus to hurl his thunderbolt, and change the game. Once again.

Or, it might be like Waiting for Godot where (as someone said) nothing happens, twice.

Labels: Reading

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It sometimes feels like all news coming out of the book industry these days is bad.

Publisher's Weekly reports on a pre-Christmas Bowker PubTrack Consumer service survey in the US: "... 34% of Americans have reduced the number of books they are buying, while 19% of consumers are either buying more used books or swapping books with others. Other ways consumers are looking to save money when buying books include buying fewer hardcovers and more paperbacks, and only buying books that are being sold at steep discounts or that are on sale. And in a direct contrast to the hope that consumers might buy books as an inexpensive form of entertainment, only 2% of consumers said they are buying more books as an alternative to more expensive kinds of entertainment."

News reports also suggest that the tiny e-book market is booming, but it is difficult to say how much of it is hype. Besides, we have to approach the numbers with caution. If a company sold 1 e-book last year and sells 2 this year, it reflects a growth of 100%, but not quite enough to set the world aflame. To make things worse, a recent PC World report says that we should brace ourselves for e-book piracy. "We are now seeing large volumes of e-books being pirated on everything from file-sharing networks to Websites," says Ed McCoyd of the Association of American Publishers, and the Hachette Book Group says that e-book piracy has grown "exponentially" over the past year. PC World has found virtual bookshelves full of with pirated e-book titles ranging from popular fiction and nonfiction, to college textbooks and how-to e-books for the Amazon Kindle, Sony Reader, or Barnes & Noble Nook.

But there are those who have found opportunities.

Although massive advances that used to be the norm have dried up, publishers are looking desperately for the next 'insanely great' first novel, says Alan Rinzler in his blog post. He has been speaking to Jay Schaefer, a publishing veteran, who says: "Everybody's looking for the next big thing -- a work of great literary fiction from an unknown writer who's never been published ... No question, good debut novels are getting snapped up and published." Well, writers, what are you waiting for? But he also says. "We've declined a lot of well crafted but empty stuff. You know, I think too many writers have been influenced by American Idol. They want to leap out of the chute, and win the literary lottery without working that hard."

He also has some useful tips: "Don't be in a rush to publish. Make sure it's as good as you can make it. Get some reliable feedback before you show it to an agent or publisher. Consult with a professional, a literary coach, take an advanced class in writing, or hire an independent editor."

And another story in the Daily Finace says Vanity Publishing Is Booming, and the Big Houses Want In (at a Price). Apparently, there is a lot of money in POD, although this is not necessarily from book sales. One report says that on an average around 41 copies of a POD book are sold in total, mostly by the authors themselves. So, there is real money to be made from writers who are willing to pay to be published (and to buy their own books). On-demand and short-run services are making a lot of money, with an approximately 132% sales jump in 2008 while the rest of the industry is in doldrums. Recently, romance publisher Harlequin announced it was getting into the pay-to-publish game with a new imprint, DellArte Press. (Some writers' and readers' groups have down-graded Harlequin as a result, but hey, go where the money is.)

Finally, Chinese writer Mian Mian, author of Panda Sex about China's underworld of sex, drugs and nightlife, (most of her work is banned in China) is suing Google for digitising her book without her approval. She wants 61,000 yuan (US$8,950) and a public apology. Yet, another good way to make money.

With that, we wish all reader a Happy and (in true Asian fashion) a Prosperous New Year. 2010 should be a good year. After all, it is the year of the Tiger.

Labels: Publishing

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Schadenfreude is a German word that derives from Schaden, "adversity, harm", and Freude, "joy". It basically means deriving joy from other people's misfortune. That appeared to be the case of this gentleman -- not a regular -- who came into the shop last week. I was not in, so this is the story I was told.

He walked around the store for a bit and picked up a book. Then, at the cashier's counter, he hesitated, hemmed and hawed for a while before popping the question that was burning his brain:

"Do you have that book?"

"What book?"

"The book that has been taken off the shelves."

"You mean banned?"

"No, no, the other one ... the ... the one that was plagiarised."

"Sorry. They have all been withdrawn."

"But you are the publisher ... don't you still have stock of it?"

"No."

"Not even one?"

"No."

But, this gentleman has been the exception. It's not that shadenfraude is un-Malaysian. (I mean, we do love to stand around and watch train wrecks and motor accidents, like everyone else.) Most of the messages we received have actually been supportive. But as Robert says, "...being so smart how can she be so stupid." Sharon maintains, "...I don't think the girl should be tarred and feathered - it doesn't serve anyone's interests," and Kok Yee's reaction is, "I can't believe this!!!!What was she thinking?...Sigh. Such a sad waste of her talent."

Some have wondered if the book could be reissued without that story. But, we disagree. It is a sad situation, but now, everything else she has written becomes suspect. Some have expressed exactly that view, and no one can blame them for it.

For the record, all copies of the book have been withdrawn from circulation and will be pulped, and the author has made her public apology. She acknowledges that she was wrong and does not defend her actions except, perhaps, plead naivete. Maybe she -- due to her age -- didn't realise just how serious a matter it was. But, now she knows. (In addition to that posted on the net, she has sent me a personal letter.) It is a lesson learnt -- a though one, but a lesson nevertheless. She is only 18, and it will hurt like hell, but she must have grown up one hell of a lot in just one day.

We will never know why exactly she did it, considering that she is actually very talented. Maybe she is not sure of the reasons herself.(Her parents have accepted that what she did was wrong.) But she deserves to be allowed to get on with her life (and there is still much of it left), and we sincerely wish her the best.
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And now for something completely different. (Apologies, Monty Python.) The last time there was so much excitement over the launch of an operating system for a microcomputer -- that's what they used to be called before IBM started using the term Personal Computer, or PC, that soon came into general use -- was during the release of Windows 3.0 in 1990 (generally considered a ripped-off version of the Macintosh operating system, although the latter lost the resulting court cases). Reading the write-ups about the soon-to-be-released (though not for another year) Google Chrome OS, one could be forgiven for thinking that this is going to be the next coming of a messiah.

The main reason Chrome OS has generated so much excitement is because, one thinks, it is coming from Google -- a company that seemingly makes no mistakes. (There are those who, despite all its success, still dismiss Google as a one-trick pony, but that is another story -- or is it actually part of this one?) It is also believed by many that Google is the only company on the planet that can teach the evil Microsoft empire a lesson, and to give them a good whupping! Apple appears to be quite content to control the BMW corner of the computer market. Linux is still considered very much a geek's tool, although its actual penetration is quite amazing and most computer users interacted with it on a daily basis without realising it -- online shopping, forums, web surfing, office backend systems and so on.

But that is not the sort of anonymity Google seeks. They want to change the world. They want to do what Apple did in 1984 with its "Big Brother" commercial (directed by Ridley Scott): shatter the old world order. Big Brother at that time was IBM and the screening of that ad (more than even the Macintosh itself) is now considered a watershed event in the history of the microcomputer. (I have seen it several times, and even now it gives me goose flesh -- you can still watch it on Youtube.) The euphoria that surrounded Microsoft when it launched Windows in 1990, was more a collective sigh of relief at being released from its own DOS operating system rather than the slaying of a monster dragon. (Macintosh' computers were way too expensive then, costing an equivalent of a present-day space tourism flight -- relatively.)

The Google PC operating system is open source, meaning it will be available free of charge. Application programmes (also generally free but supported by ads) will be available in the cloud, as will storage. So computers will come in entirely "potong" modes! No hard disc, no CD-Roms, and definitely no floppies. Completely wireless. No native software, only the web. Sounds too good to be true?

But some, like Wired.com are wondering if Google should not be showing some humility instead of crowing like they are. But crowing is very much a part of their DNA (and in the DNA of most computer companies where the hyperbole rules, with the possible exception of Linux), and the louder you crow the more famous you are. (See how Amazon crowed itself to profit.) Google says that they are initially targeting lightweight Netbooks, which will come preinstalled with the operating system.

It is an idealistic vision; a future where only the web exists, and computers become cheap throwaway machines, but many say it is realistically several years away. Initially, it will be a toy. (But then, so are most computers now!) The first concern most people will raise would be software, but Google says there are web alternatives for everything. Really? For my Illustrator, my Photoshop?

Google wants us to give up the computing environment we are used to, as we know it and leave everything on the web. Everything? Including that novel you are writing? That would take a serious paradigm shift, indeed! Unfortunately, my personal concerns are more mundane. I am a creature who likes to own things. Okay, I am a greedy materialist. I like to hoard stuff. If it is on my computer, I own it. Steve Jobs knew that when he introduced the wildly popular iTunes and iPod, and he has been proven right; most people like to own their music, not rent them. No one has managed to come up with a successful music rental model yet. But then, there is the radio. How do we explain that? Don't we mostly listen to it when we are not paying attention? But it is free. Free! That word again.

Times are a-changing, and it is getting interestinger and interestinger, and scarier. But for now I'll stick to my trusty MacBook, and perhaps install Chrome on Parallels, or Boot Camp partition to play around with it a bit. I don't think I am quite ready for Utopia yet. It's scary.

Labels: Others

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