An update about Sybil Kathigasu and "No Dram of Mercy"

 I found some information about Sybil Kathigasu and "No Dram of Mercy" from the book titled " Colonial to Global : Malaysian Women's Writing in English" by Nor Faridah Abdul Manaf and Mohd A-Quayum.

Lim describes Sybil Kathigasu as " a privileged woman in a colonized society who counted white professionals and white women among her friends( Writing South East/ Asia In English 166) because of her "uprooted" background. However, this does not make Kathigasu's work any less Malayan than those of Han Suyin or Katharine Sim, especially in terms of social themes.

"No Dram of Mercy" is a war memoir of the Japanese Occupation in Malaya from 1941- 1945. The work depicts the struggles, woes and steadfastness of a woman caught up in the horrors of the Second World War in Southeast Asia. According to Cheah Boon Kheng who writes the preface to  the book, Kathigasu's autobiography is one of the  four books on Japanese atrocities in Malaya which were published after the war( Chin Kee Onn, Gurchan Singh and Ahmad Murad)." No Dram Of Mercy" is important as its account of war is from the perspective of a woman. The analysis of the book will focus on the female voice and female experience as portrayed by the writer.

The memoir has 20 chapters. An epilogue written by someone else is also included because Kathigasu died before completing her story as a result of  the injuries  she received during her imprisonment in Japanese Malaya. She died at a London hospital in 1949.

"No Dram of Mercy" is not only historically appealing because of its authentic accounts of the Second World War in Southeast Asia, but also spiritually attractive as a text on and by a religion woman who "manipulates" her adverse situation through the strength of her faith. Later in the memoir, Kathigasu writes about the family's settlement in a little village called Papan. Like Han Suyin and Katharine Sim, Kathigasu also thinks that it is necessary to provide her readers with an historical background for each local setting.

Chapter 1 of the book shows much evidence of Kathigasu who became the force behind every action of care and protection, not only of her family members, but also her household servants and her medical patients.

Excerpt from the story
" You had better all keep indoors unless there is bombing,"I said." If the planes come over, take shelter under cover of the hedge. And now I must go back to the house. The servants are waiting for me. They want to go home."

About Huzir Sulaiman

Huzir works across different media, art forms, and genres - telling stories that allow people to access complex ideas in simple, personal, human ways. A celebrated playwright, his plays include the internationally acclaimed satire Atomic Jaya (1998), which asks what would happen if Malaysia decided to build an atomic bomb, and, most recently, the award-winning The Weight of Silk on Skin (2011), a meditation on women, beauty, love and loss. He heads Studio Wong Huzir, a creative consultancy, and is a Joint Artistic Director of Checkpoint Theatre, which the Financial Times (UK) called “a repository of much of [Singapore’s] best stage talent.” Huzir also writes for film, television and newspapers, and teaches playwriting at the National University of Singapore. He also publishes POSKOD.SG, the acclaimed online magazine about Singapore society. As a creative consultant, he has worked as the Creative Director of the observation deck on the 124th floor of the Burj Khalifa, the world’s tallest building, and has completed a history of Temasek Holdings, an investment arm of the Singapore government. His latest book, published in 2013, is Huzir Sulaiman: Collected Plays 1998-2012.

Eight plays by Huzir Sulaiman and his collected plays from 1998-2002

A delightful collection of eight plays by Malaysia's leading dramatist, acclaimed for his vital, inventive language and darkly humorous insight. This collection brings together his plays from 1998 to 2002 including Atomic Jaya, The Smell of Language, Hip-Hopera, Notes on Life and Love and Painting, Election Day, Those Four Sisters Fernandez, Occupation and Whatever That Is.


 
Huzir Sulaiman's collected plays from 1998-2002

 

A comprehensive volume of Huzir’s writing for the stage, showcasing the lyricism, dark humour, and insight into the human condition that has won him critical and popular acclaim. From the classic satire Atomic Jaya to the award-winning The Weight of Silk on Skin, this is a collection not to be missed.

A further update about Tunku Halim- assigned writer

Tunku Halim

 Tunku Halim is a huge fan of Stephen King and his favourite book is Ernest Hemmingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" because of its simplicity  and its portrayal of courage through adversity." Tunku Halim is known as a gothic writer in Malaysia because he is called as "Prince of Dark Fantasy" besides being known as the best known national writer for contemporary Malaysian horror in English. By delving into Malay myth, legends and folklore, his writing is regarded as "World Gothic".

“I prefer the terms ‘dark fantasy’ or ‘darkness and imagination’ because people expect fear when they think ‘horror’ and that is not my intention,” he said .I might use the supernatural, such as the orang minyak, in my stories but my intention is not to scare. One can read Silence Of The Lambs and not think it’s horror but it is,” he said to elaborate his point.

 His works which are related to horror are "The Rape of Martha Teoh"(1997), " Dark Demon Rising"(1997)," Bloodhaze 15 Chilling Tales"(1999), " Bloodhaze 15 Chilling Tales"(1999),"Vermillion Eye"(2000), "The Women Who Grew Horns & Other Works"(2001), "44 Cementary Road"(2007), "Gravedigger Kiss"(2007) and "Juriah Songs"(2008). For example, "Juriah Song" is a story about a rock star being haunted by a female spirit. Tunku Halim's fictions manage to create a scary feeling to his readers.For example in "Vermillion Eye, this is how he describes the character in a horror way.“ He scratched an arm, sending a ripple of flesh towards his elbow, down to the wrist, to a hand that held a metal rod where a red hunk of meat, sprinkled with rosemary, sat skewered.(Halim, Tunku, page 126) “The laundry room was, of course, a mess. Bits of flesh, blood, cartilage and bone were strewn all over the washing machine and dryer.”( Halim, Tunku, page127) To me, Tunku Halim is really a great  writer because it is not easy to write and describe things, humans and atmosphere in a horror way. When I read this novel, I can feel "a shiver ran down my spine.

Besides writing about horror, he also writes about  non-fictions titled “Everything the Condominium Developer Should Have Told You, But Didn’t” (1992), “The New Golf Paradigm” (with Kris Barkway; 2001),both books talk about the pitfalls for consumers in buying apartments in Malaysia. Tunku Halim has also written books for children, the first being "A Children History of Malaysia"(2003). He first thought of the idea for the book while writing his father’s (the late Tunku Abdullah Tuanku Abdul Rahman of the royal house of Negeri Sembilan)) biography and having heard stories about how his father lived through World War II and the British rule.“My knowledge of history was not very good so I had to do some research. From there, I realised that Malaysian history is actually so interesting,” shared Tunku Halim, adding that he was also inspired by a book called A Child’s History Of England by Charles Dickens.

Then, the idea of an A-to-Z book of history for children came to mind, resulting in the release  of his self-published History Of Malaysia: A Children’s Encyclopaedia in 2009.

 Tunku Halim's main purpose of publishing  " A Children's History of Malaysia is to  make history simple for children and to tell it as a story without the dates.With his book and the encyclopaedia, he hopes to excite enthusiasm for Malaysia’s fascinating past. In my opinion, the publication of both " A Children's History of Malaysia(2003) and "History of Malaysia: A Children's Encyclopedia(2009) help to contribute to nation building. Through reading these two history books, young readers will be able to understand better about history. History is important for a country so when young readers know about history and wars, they will love the country more and will have better tolerance and respect towards their friends who are from other races.  All these will strengthen the bonds between all the races and  they will be able to unite. Lastly, they will be able to live harmoniously and create a happy nation.

 Tunku Halim first moved to Australia in 1993 to work with Oracle Corporation as legal counsel in Sydney. He then moved to Tasmania in 2001 with his Malaysian wife, Suzanne, who is of Chinese and English parentage, and children Tunku Kristina and Tunku Adam.

Many people would assume that living in the beautiful Tasmanian surroundings presents the perfect writing environment. “That is not true. Inspiration is just for the idea but the rest is perspiration. I need isolation to write, which means I cannot do that in Malaysia because I’m always with people.”  He credited Hobart, and Australia in general, for providing a conducive setting for writers. When he was asked about his ultimate aim as a writer, Tunku Halim admitted to having none but adhered to a simple rule.“I just want to enjoy what I am doing, you know, do something meaningful and also give something of value to readers,” he said.

 The secret of his success: “It may be that each story I write is different. I don’t work with a formula. I want each story to offer the reader something new. Some stories are more character based, some plot driven, others even include humour, some offer an underlying message. I also like to portray Malaysia and its idiosyncrasies. I’m constantly trying to improve my craft and I hope this comes through into the quality of the writing.”