閱讀亞非言的《馬來素描》就像坐在新加坡最長的地鐵東西線車廂內。三十幾站，五十幾公里的旅程。用一小時餘的時間，隨著列車橫貫島國兩端，在高架軌道上俯瞰地面風景。

這一本速寫／素描作品以極短篇的方式完成，像是呼應著新加坡的地理面積和生活步伐。作家彷彿帶著一台照相機，在新加坡街頭拍下了日常瞬間，潛入組屋區裡的生活片刻，駐足，按下快門鍵，為讀者放送各種趨近的、逃離的、扭曲的、溫柔的、痛苦的生活觀察和想像。例如書中以地名為篇章的極短作品，以數段文字描寫定格畫面，卻也如精靈般自由進入人們的思與言。

新加坡青年作家亞非言，是著名雙語詩人、小說家和劇作家，也是新加坡政府眼中的「異議分子」。書中形形色色的人物，是在新加坡主流發展敘事中被消音的一群少數族群，只佔總人口百分之十五的馬來人，他們彷彿是獨立前未曾存在的土著，獨立後總跟不上發展步伐的「落後」族群。作者透過這些短篇故事，揭露新加坡在英才治理、多元文化主義、世俗主義等現代性話語下衍生的種種問題，而馬來人的「落後性」被視為種種社會問題的源頭。他們生長於家國，卻漸漸成了無家者，是新加坡馬來人面對的困境。

亞非言的書寫實踐繼承自上世紀馬來知識分子傳統，作品皆有高度社會關懷和歷史意識，亞非言筆下的馬來人，是各個尋找聲音的活生生主體。

（節錄自〈譯序：速寫星國日常〉）

Reading Malay Sketches is like sitting on the longest East-West line train in Singapore, using about one hour’s time to traverse more than 30 stations and 50 kilometers from one end to another, overlooking the scenery on the ground.

These sketches of Singapore is written in the form of flash fiction, echoing the island’s geographical area and pace of living. As if the writer brings with him a camera, captures the everyday moment on the street, or sneaks into the life of people in the HDB flats. He makes stops, snaps pictures, and shows his readers various observations and imaginations of life. As can be seen in the chapters titled by place names, the writer freely enters into people’s mind and thoughts to illustrate the frozen moments.

Alfian Sa’at is a well-known Singapore bilingual writer, poet and playwright. He is also regarded by the Singapore government as a political dissident. Most characters in the stories belong to a minority community in Singapore - the Malays who made up 15% of the population – who are often marginalized and silenced. In the mainstream narrative, they are as though the disappearing indigenous population whose “backwardness” prevents them from participating in the rapid development of the modern society. Malay Sketches unveils all the problems hidden under such modernity discourse that focuses on meritocracy, multiculturalism and secularism. Born and raised at home but becoming “homeless” is the common dilemma facing the Malays in Singapore.

Alfian Sa’at’s writing practice is inherited from the Malay intellectual tradition in the last century, which bases itself on social awareness and historical consciousness. The Malays in the stories are not objects to be narrated, but as living subjects in search for their voices.

----Excerpted from translator’s preface of "Malay Sketches" (Chinese edition)


書名｜Title：馬來素描（"Malay Sketches" Chinese Edition）
作者｜Author：亞非言（Alfian Sa'at）
譯者｜Translator：蘇穎欣（Show Ying Xin）
繪者｜Illustrator：Bodhi IA
ISBN：978-986-92381-8-2
文學／平裝／13× 19cm／四方文創出版／2020
Literature/Paperback/13x19cm/published by Brilliant Time Co., Ltd.


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1. Price: NT$400 (NT$800 for 2 books, NT$1200 for 3 and so on)
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