While there are anthologies of Malaysian horror stories, many of them revolving around supernatural creatures, “none of those focus on the broader scope of fantasy”, Tan mused.
Speaking with FMT Lifestyle, she pointed out that the popularity of the “cerpen” literary genre suggests that Malaysians are fond of reading and writing short stories.
Fuelled by the idea of a Malaysian fantasy anthology, Tan made it one of her long-term publishing goals when she started her company, Teaspoon Publishing, in 2017. Fast forward six years and said anthology has finally been published!
Titled “A Spoonful of Malaysian Magic”, it features 12 stories from local writers Joshua Lim, Hamizah Adzmi, Collin Yeoh, Ilnaz A Faizal, Ismim Putera, Joni Chng, Julia Alba, Rowan C, Sharmilla Ganesan, Stuart Danker, Syazwani Jefferdin and Zufar Zeid.
From food magic to fairies-in-training, “orang bunian” to omen birds, there’s plenty of whimsical and extraordinary characters and concepts to be discovered within its pages.
The project started through a call for story submissions on social media last year. Tan received 59 stories in total, which she shortlisted to a dozen.
“I leaned into fairytales and mythical stories since they fit together well,” said Tan, who is the author of novels such as “Amok” and “The Tale of the Hostage Prince”.
One of the challenges, she revealed, was in determining the meaning of “Malaysian fantasy”. As a result, the book contains a range of narrative styles and subjects: one story is based on Japanese mythology, another on roleplaying games, and yet another a “super Western fairytale”.
“We are very multicultural and intercultural, no? Who am I to say this isn’t Malaysian, too?” Tan chuckled.
For medical student Joshua Lim, he was inspired to write his story “Kampar and the Kings of Kedah” after reading a translated version of the Kedah Annals (“Hikayat Mahawangsa Merong”) during the pandemic.
“When I got to the Raja Bersiong story, I was surprised to find it was so much richer than the simplified version I had known before. I was most fascinated by the character of a shapeshifter named Kampar,” said Lim, 21.
“Usually, he is not mentioned in Raja Bersiong retellings. I was so intrigued, I decided to retell this story with a focus on Kampar. In a nutshell, my story is Kedah Annals fan-fiction!”
Hamizah Adzmi’s “The Dahlia of Hutan Kilat”, on the other hand, is an urban fantasy story about Seri, a huntress of supernatural creatures who discovers that love can be found in unexpected places.
“I’ve always wanted to write about a young woman’s autonomy and self-discovery,” the 34-year-old said. “My protagonist, Seri, is a fresh graduate in her early 20s who, like others her age, is trying to figure out how to be an adult.
“It’s a common and relatable experience situated in a fantasy setting.”
She told FMT Lifestyle that she enjoys most about writing fantasy is its endless possibilities – absolutely anything could happen! “It’s been wonderful for me to be able to ‘remix’ folklore with my own worldbuilding,” she shared.
Tan hopes to release similar anthologies on a biennial basis, with submissions hopefully opening next year for a 2025 publication.
‘A Spoonful of Malaysian Magic: An Anthology’ can be purchased here.