[Dr. Lalita Sinha reviews Uthaya Sankar SB’s Cerpen which stands out as a perceptive and bold social commentary, making it a significant work in contemporary Malaysian literature.]
A collection of 28 short stories, Uthaya Sankar SB’s Cerpen (Fixi, 2024) is intriguing in several ways, including the choices of a black-and white cover and enigmatically simplistic book title. I interpret it as, less is more, or less telling, more showing!
Each story is meticulously crafted, a mirror to society from 30 years ago to today, and still as relevant. I would go so far as to say, the author demonstrates the role of “poet or prophet” at play.
Not the iGen or Gen Alpha reader to whom it is dedicated, I let my inner comparatist reign in choosing which story to read first. OK, the titles seem to be arranged in chronological order, so I started with the first, most recent one perhaps from this year, one from the middle, and ending with the last story, written when the author was 21.
Scammer has a large measure of mystery, personal struggles, and a relatable “urban poor” ungendered protagonist who is a nameless everyman. Frankly, I found the initial repetitive accounts of phone calls unwarranted and barren, only to realise how purposefully utilised, for a dystopian, disturbing, story on a prevailing social phenomenon.
Typically, the reader is taken along a certain path, to realise they are left on an entirely different one. The reveal, albeit dramatic, is not completely a reveal. It leaves me startled, with questions. In the present tense, because it has such a lingering effect.
I must revisit this story, in the hope of finding crumbs left by the author that may lead to answers. The story’s simplicity belies a complexity and sophistication of plot and theme, and particularly, characterisation. Ingenious!
Sasterawan Pulau Cinta is a thinly veiled, hard-hitting satire that prevails in a “neighbouring land”. On the limited canvas of this story, every element is purposefully provocative. I would describe it, in Manglish, as “Everybody also kena.” God (including demi-god and semi-demon), humans (the literary, religious, political, social) and the environment (natural disaster), all highly topical elements.
The exposition is a tragedy, and the narrative, a consummate portrayal of the effects of self-righteousness and foolishness, at a level bordering on comedy. Yet is serious, as in deadly serious. The resolution is chilling, even more so because it is a self-fulfilling prophecy! What the “sasterawan” felt in 1995 comes true in 2002. Can’t be brave? Try bravado!
(2) Postmortem is the last story in this collection. Perhaps the format of the title is a play on “Postmodern”? It begs the question: Shouldn’t it be written as, “Postmortem–2” like, referring to a sequel? And how could the reality portrayed have meaning and reason?
Basically, it is a narrative of life involving death, betrayal, child abuse, pimps and prostitutes, injustice and dirty politics in linear progression. Again, close encounters of the dystopian kind. Except, the sharp and captivating observations of peculiarities of ethnic Malaysian speech and behaviour (“Mak Kiah mencebikkan bibir ke arah rumah jirannya”) feel like rays of light lending relief and even hilarity from the general feeling of physical and mental overwhelm as I read the story.
Without giving any more of the story away, it is a cleverly written, fearless and unique expose of sociopolitical realities. Based on these three stories (and a couple of others I transcreated previously for The Painted Cat collection last year), this book is a keeper. It is a perceptive and bold social document presenting as fiction. Cerpen reflects an unusual and gifted Malaysian writer’s choice to swim against the tide, to battle issues, and to preserve ideas and ideals that few take on.
(Dr. Lalita Sinha is a literary scholar, translator, and critic. Specialising in the
field of Comparative Literature, Lalita’s works cover a range of disciplines,
from mysticism and literary translation to children’s literature. This review was
published in Eksentrika on 22 September 2024.)