Professionally: an editor, and\nformerly a literary one. Creatively: a writer of socially-provocative plays and\nstirring prose. From the heart: an aspiring actor. Kee Thuan Chye, at 47 years\nof age, talks about his ripening dreams.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kakiseni: What drives your writing?\nIs it a sense of the past, present, or future? <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Kee: It’s a combination of both the\npast and present.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The dramas I’ve written are driven\nby the present. I look around me, and there’s so much to write about. Look at\ncorruption, the crass materialism that we’ve acquired, the hankering for\nsuccess … “Malaysia Boleh”, ”Vision 2020″… they cry out to\nbe explored. The theatre is a good medium to bring up these issues. People can\nrelate to them very easily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But for my other writing, I draw on my own experiences and some of this could have come up from the past. For example, the excerpt (of a work in progress) in New Writing 10<\/em> was based on things observed and experienced in the past. It was suggested to me that perhaps it could be done as a monologue. I would like to seriously get down to writing more of the novel — where it can go and where I can take it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Is your writing always\nserious?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Of course, I take writing very\nseriously. But in my other works, there is a lot of humour. You can get\nsomething serious across with humour. For example, We Could**** You, Mr Birch<\/em> has very serious themes, but it is\neclectic, comedic, and draws on various inspirations. It is irreverent. It\npokes its tongue out at history, sacred cows, at people, including the\nplaywright himself. I kind of have that tone of frivolity — but not in the\nsense of flippancy — combined with the seriousness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Who is your audience?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Malaysians, generally. I don’t\nwrite like some people may do — to a world audience. That is so hard to\nconceptualise.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I don’t write with what would appeal\nto my audience. I try to make what I write understandable. I have an\niconoclastic bent to me, an irreverent side to me that shows in the attitude\nthat I take.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I think more of addressing my own\npeople, using the medium of humour to prove that ‘Hey, we should not take\nourselves too seriously’. I want to see that (what I write) is big and generous\nenough to embrace all races, cultures, religions, and languages. I want to make\nmy people aware that there are things here that could do with change, or change\nfor the better, as I perceive it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I want my children to grow up\nwithout fear of reprisal, a sense of belonging. It is not easy for a person who\ncomes from an immigrant race to feel that sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I’m a third or fourth generation\nMalaysian. I feel like a true blue Malaysian. But sometimes, one is made to\nfeel that it is not the case, looking at the policies formulated. We helped to\nbuild this house, but we’re still made to feel like tenants. I hope that this\nwill not be inherited by my children.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Do you self-censor? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: I try not to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Have you been in trouble\nbecause of what you write? <\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Yes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Can you give an example of\nthis?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: (The play) 1984: Here and Now<\/em> was staged much to everybody’s surprise.\nEverybody thought we would not get the permit. It was staged in 1985 and we had\na full house for the five nights that it played. Word had got around to go see\nit on the first night because of fears that it would have its permit revoked.\nThe play triggered a lot of discussions. The Far Eastern Economic Review had a\nwrite-up that asked: ‘how did it get the permit?’ and that (perhaps) the\nSpecial Branch were not aware of what they were doing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Later, for The Coffin Is Too Big For The Hole<\/em> in which I was a one-man actor,\nthe permit was not given on the evening of the opening night. It was a\nvirtually harmless play which related to Singaporean society. It was reported\nthat it was because of 1984<\/em>. So, this\nwas the kind of reprisal I faced.<\/p>\n\n\n\n After that, I directed Madam Mao’s Memories<\/em>. After six weeks of\nrehearsal, we were told we were not going to get the staging permit. The play\nbasically looked at the human aspect of Madam Mao. However, it was at a time\nthat communism was still looked at as a bogey. The Communist Party had not been\ngiven amnesty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mr Birch<\/em> was\nnot a problem at all, probably because it was done under the aegis of Panggung\nNegara, a government body. We did manage to get the permit. They made some\nsuggestions on cutting some things out, or toning that down … but I refused.\nIt was nice of them to (come back to me with suggestions), and (when I refused)\nthey left it at that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n With self-censorship, even though I\nsay that I try not to, I am aware that there are certain things that should not\nbe dealt with — things that may offend certain communities without good\nreason.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Have you inadvertently\noffended certain quarters?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: I have been told that, … but\nthis was not intended. Some people have taken exception in 1984<\/em> and Mr Birch<\/em>. 1984<\/em> was modeled on (George) Orwell’s 1989<\/em>. I adapted class conflict to racial\nconflict. There would have been some people offended by some of the things in\nit. But it was reality as I perceived it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If they felt offended, I cannot\nclaim responsibility. As a writer, you cannot be responsible for how people\nreact to how you write, and I believe what I wrote was aimed at making a\nproposition for a better society. Transcending that, it was also bringing out\nhuman values that were more important than some of the laws in society. My\nconviction is if people get offended, then what can I do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Moving on to your ‘work in\nprogress’ — when do you see the completion of your novel?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Perhaps in my next life time.\nYou have to have a lot of concentration, time, and focus. I have a full-time\njob, and I have to give time to my family. I chauffeur my young kids to school\n— I share this with my wife — I help out with my wife, and when I get home\nfrom work, I spend time with my kids as well. It’s a luxury to have that time\nand to sum up your concentration to pursue that goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But last year, I made an effort to\nwrite and do something. I was stealing time here and there — an hour or 45\nminutes. Over a period of time, I managed to write a screenplay. For a\nscreenplay, it’s workable. For a novel, it’s harder.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Where does your forte lie\n— in plays, prose, or poetry?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: I used to write poetry — it\nwas one of the first few things that I did. There are some that I am proud of.\nSome have been anthologized abroad, and here. These days, I find I don’t have\nthe words for poetry — maybe because of my work in journalism. In journalism,\nthe way you write has to be logical, objective. It is a totally different kind\nof approach to creative writing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I say to people who are aspiring to\nbe writers that they should not get into journalism. Journalists have to deal\nwith words the whole day. At the end of the day, they may find it hard to\nswitch. They should work in a bank. (Franz) Kafka, for example, worked in an\ninsurance company.<\/p>\n\n\n\n As for my forte, I think it would be\nin writing dialogue. I find that I have the facility for doing that. You have\nto be a good listener.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Yes. When you read the\nexcerpt from New Writing 10<\/em> at the\nBritish Council, you managed to transcend gender differences, she was so real.\nYou gave her a palpable voice, and tapped into her emotions very well. Do your\nfriends, family, or people you know, appear in your writing much? Is much of\nwhat you write derived from your personal experiences or relationships?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: A lot of it. The woman in New Writing 10<\/em> was a composite of\ndifferent people. You have to draw from real life, or else your characters may\nnot be real. How people talk, for example, is drawn from real life. And of\ncourse, a lot of it is drawn from my own experiences that have gone through a\nprocess of filtering and what I’ve observed from other people and filtered\nthrough my own lenses, so to speak.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A very important thing is to try not\nto be too judgmental when you transpose these real life people, these real life\nexperiences into this creative work. Sometimes, you have to let these people\nspeak for themselves without imposing your own values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I learnt a very important lesson\nbetween 1984<\/em> and Birch<\/em>. 1984<\/em> was a very\npropagandist play, a form of agitprop (agitation propaganda). It was preachy,\nand very direct. There were no subtleties about it. It was obviously pushing a\ncertain point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When I got to Mr Birch<\/em>, it was better if one didn’t push — to let the various\nviewpoints emerge and leave the audience with their own conclusions. Mr Birch<\/em> was more successful because it\nwas subtler. It was less partisan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Do you worry about whether\nyou will get published, and by whom?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: No, actually. Nowadays, if you\nhave a bit of money, you could self-publish. Then, the problem is you have got\nto find a distributor. Mr Birch<\/em> is\nself-published, and it’s now in its fifth printing because it has been used by\ncolleges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n When you begin to write, you don’t\nthink of who’s going to publish it. Your main concern should be the work. After\nyou have finished writing, then you’d look for people to publish it. If after\nthe work is finished and I have not found someone to publish it, I would not be\ntoo sad. The achievement is that I’ve written it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But because I’m not dependent on it\nfinancially, I can be cavalier about it. Of course, it wouldn’t be the same for\nsomeone whose livelihood depends on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: What problems do you have\nas a writer of fictive or creative work? Is there mental and intellectual space\nto thrive as a creative writer within the Malaysian ‘space’?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: I’d say the biggest problem\nwould be … you’re not encouraged in this country if you write in English.\nNow, it’s better. There’s more acceptance. (But) I have sometimes felt I was\nnot doing the right thing still continuing to write in English — in what was\nconsidered the colonialist language.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I began writing during the time when\nthere was (a sense of) ‘nationalistic fervour’, and I felt that I was not\npatriotic enough. You felt guilty that you were not writing in the national\nlanguage. As a child who grew up in English, with Malay being taught as a\nlanguage, people of my generation didn’t take it (Bahasa) seriously enough.\n(However) it would’ve been foolhardy to try to write in Malay. I would never\nhave cut it if I had written in Malay.<\/p>\n\n\n\n National literature was considered\nto be Malay literature. Other literatures were considered sectional, or ‘other’\nliterature. As a person who writes in English, I felt very marginalised — not\naccepted, not recognised. And even till this day, writing in English is still\nnot fully recognised. That should not be the case. The person writing it is\nstill Malaysian. The concerns are still Malaysian concerns. The ethos could be\nvery Malaysian too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Are you concerned about\n-isms — such as sexism, or racism — appearing in your writing, consciously or\nunconsciously?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Prejudices, I’m sure, will\nalways appear. What is expressed by the writer is very personal work. I am\nprejudiced towards liberal thinking and expression. There will be people who\nmay disagree with me … but I can’t allow myself to think about that when I\nwrite.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: You touched on this issue\nearlier … but do you have any sort of discipline or routine as a writer?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: I don’t have that luxury. I’m\nnot a full-time writer. I get up at 6.30, send the kids to school — I share\nthat with my wife — I may go for a walk if I have the time, then I get ready,\nand go to work. I will be at work until seven-ish. In between, I pick up the\nkids on some days from school and send them off to their activities — I (also)\nshare this with my wife. I go home, then it is dinnertime, and I spend time\nwith the kids. I am tired out — I have no aptitude to take something out and\nscribble on it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The only available time is the\nweekend, but then there are other things to see to — bills to pay, spending\ntime with the family, going out, … and sleeping a bit more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Do you prefer working on a\ncomputer, or writing in long hand?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: I do both, but I find writing\nlong hand works better for me. Screenplays, New\nWriting 10<\/em>, and most of my plays are written that way, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Writing for TV\u2019s Idaman<\/em> was on the computer. It depends on how serious it is. Idaman<\/em> was hack work. It’s not really art.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Are you sure you want this\nmentioned?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Yes. It was hack work. It’s\nlike churning out assembly line products and it has to be done quickly and the\ndeadline is short.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kakiseni: Which hat do you wear the\nbest? Or rather, where would you say your heart is?<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: My heart is in acting,\nactually. The one thing I would like to do is to be an actor right now. But\nI’ve always had dependents in my life. I’ve always had to have a regular job.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There have been acting offers after Anna and the King<\/em> — guest roles in Kopi Tiam<\/em>, Phua Chu Kang<\/em>, and a regular role for a new series supposed to have\nbeen shot for Singapore TV. But after a few episodes, it was shelved because of\nworries in Singapore over recession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n I was recently also offered small,\nsmall roles in film. In between, I was in two Malaysian indies: Amir’s\n(Muhammad) Lips to Lips<\/em> and James’\n(Lee) Sniper<\/em>. On stage, I was in Expat Comes To Town<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Now, if I could have a second life\nand could choose what I wanted, I’d choose acting. But of course, with a face\nlike mine … I wouldn’t be able to get romantic roles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Postscript: A graduate from\nUniversiti Sains Malaysia with a major in Literature, Kee had initially\nintended to study Mass Communication, but had ‘ironically’ ended up in\nJournalism.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Kee: Another irony was, by the time\nI majored, I wanted to do Performing Arts. I had to take classes for acting. I\naudited the class for a few sessions, and decided ‘No, I didn’t want to’. My\nlife is full of ironies. That’s why irony is dominant in my writing. Foreigners\nhave said despite things that have happened here, they don’t detect much irony\nin Malaysian writing … but that’s not exactly true.<\/p>\n\n\n\n *vorpal: reference to the weapon used by the warrior or slayer of the Jabberwocky (the mythical creature of terror in Lewis Carroll’s poem) <\/p>\n\n\n\n Note: For a taste of Kee’s writing, a reading of excerpts from his plays — including his new play The Fall of Singapura<\/em> — will be held at Books Kinokuniya, Level 4, Suria KLCC, on Sunday, October 21, at 3pm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n First Published: 17.10.2001 on Kakiseni <\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Professionally: an editor, and formerly a literary one. Creatively: a writer of socially-provocative plays and stirring prose. From the heart: an aspiring actor. Kee Thuan Chye, at 47 years of age, talks about his ripening dreams. Kakiseni: What drives your writing? Is it a sense of the past, present, or future? Kee: It’s a combination […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":11,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"iawp_total_views":6,"footnotes":""},"categories":[34,3538,3540,3558,3541,3535],"tags":[712,223,228,2416,539,46],"writer":[7641],"class_list":["post-27860","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles","category-censorship","category-film","category-interview","category-literature","category-theatre","tag-censorship","tag-film","tag-interview","tag-kee-thuan-chye","tag-literature","tag-theatre","writer-michelle-woo"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27860","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/11"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=27860"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27860\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":39159,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27860\/revisions\/39159"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27860"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27860"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27860"},{"taxonomy":"writer","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/myartmemoryproject.com\/ms\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/writer?post=27860"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}