Chinese Stories
Call for Submissions
MPH GROUP PUBLISHING is pleased to announce an open call for submissions of short fiction for an anthology tentatively entitled Chinese Stories. We aim to publish the anthology in 2009, depending on the number and quality of submissions we receive.The theme of the anthology will be on Chinese life in Malaysia, Singapore and elsewhere, with writings that explore questions of fate and destiny, culture, spirituality, language, human longings and their consequences, ironies of life, identity and family. And the joy and turmoil of love, of course. Stories could be sweet or sour. Or places in between. Or issues that have not been explored before.
Stories must be original, between 3,000 and 5,000 words, and must not have been previously published. We invite submissions from both emerging and established writers. Stories for children are not eligible for this compilation. Manuscripts must be edited, typed double-spaced with 12pt font and e-mailed to mphpublishing@mph.com.my. Please include your name, address, telephone number and e-mail address. You may submit as many pieces as you wish. Faxed or handwritten submissions will not be entertained and manuscripts will not be returned. We will contact you only if your piece has been selected for inclusion in the compilation. Writers whose submissions are selected will be expected to work with the editors to fine tune their stories.Deadline: 30 June 2008
Payment: A small flat fee and two copies of the anthology
posted by Eric Forbes at 5:54 AM
6 Comments:
i am posting a comment animah made on my blog because i suspect she isn't going to be the only one making it:
For God's sake, just as we are trying to move away from racist politics - something Malaysians have just rejected, MPH is trying to reinforce race again?
I think such a view is a perfect example of how small-mindedness can lead to distortion of noble aims. What can I say: looks like education has failed miserably in broadening one’s mind. What we have here is a view that smacks of propagandism. By the way, we are talking about literature here. Celebrating a culture is not racism; racism is about hate and that’s a very, very bad thing.
British novelist Kazuo Ishiguro, in The Remains of the Day, creates English characters in a typically English ambience. Ishiguro is Japanese by ethnicity but British by nationality. To create characters of another race, you must understand them, research them and use your imagination for things you don’t understand or can’t research. This shouldn’t pose a problem for Malaysian writers.
Most Malaysians have lived all their lives in Malaysia among other races. If they are able to understand the other races, there’s lots of literary material to be mined in such a milieu. Andrew Sean Greer's new novel, The Story of a Marriage (2008), explores the interrelationship between/among three African American protagonists. Greer is not African American. Writing about another race is not something new in fiction writing.
I have also left the same comment on Sharon's blog
Ok let me wade in here.
Firstly I thank MPH, or indeed anyone else who wants to put our an anthology of short stories.
This is becoming all too rare especially since Raman at Silverfish made his decision to cease that annual anthology.
Secondly, thought it may not actually be included within the proposed anthology, I have written a short story for this Chinese anthology.
I am not Chinese, but have known many people of Chinese ancestral origin - from China, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Malaysia/Singapore.
I hope that within the Chinese context my story will ring true.
My current story being published by MPH is about a Malay teenager.
I am not a Malay
My first story published in Malaysia - Silverfish 5 was about Indian Malaysians.
I am not an Indian
The last published in Silverfish 7 was about a situation - The Malayan Emergency, for which I had to research - not having direct knowledge of the subject.
All good writers research the material which has not formed part of their life experience, to date.
Why not research and learn about what it means to be Chinese?
Short-story collections don't sell by the truckloads nor contribute much to the coffers of publishers. If they are willing to invest in such collections, they should be applauded - not shot down!
When I first saw this announcement a while back, I'd assumed that the stories have to be written in Chinese, that it was an effort to revive interest in Chinese/Mandarin language among the young. After reading the comments on Sharon's blog, I realised that that was not the case. Yeah, that explains the knee jerk reactions. Several characters in my stories are Chinese but I don't think of them as such, just people... Why is there a need for this? No of submissions is not that fantastic without putting limitation in the first place...
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