Calling out book lovers out there! We at The Kind Helper curated a list of Malaysian Writers who are all amazing and unique in their own ways. If you’re a bookworm, you wouldn’t want to miss out on their work!
Malaysian Writer
1. Tash Aw
Being one of the most successful Malaysian writers, Tash Aw was born in Taiwan to Malaysian parents and spent time growing up in Kuala Lumpur before he moved to London. He plotted his name in the Whitbread Award, the Booker and Commonwealth Writer’s Prize for his book, Map of the Invisible World and Five Star Billionaire. His first novel is published in 2005 titled The Harmony Silk Factory is translated into twenty languages!
2. Hanna Alkaf
Hanna Alkaf is the definition of a successful independent woman. She started her career writing marketing materials and currently juggling between writing and taking care of her family. She is widely known for her young adult novel debut, The Weight of Our Sky which has successfully won a Freeman Award for Young Adult/High School Literature. Apart from being a writer, she is one of the co-founders of Kita Jaga Kita which is “one-stop shop” for Malaysians to donate and receive help during the pandemic of Covid-19.
3. Tan Twan Eng
The author of The Garden of Evening Mists, Tan Twan Eng was selected to be the first Malaysian recipient of the Man Asian Literary Prize! He was born in Penang and has been living in Kuala Lumpur. Tan Twan Eng has published two novels and he is an ambassador for Malaysian literature on a global stage.
4. Yangsze Choo
Before her amazing writing talent is discovered, Yangsze Choo worked as a management consultant. Her first novel, The Ghost Bride has received recognition from New York Times bestsellers. The Ghost Bride continues to make its name global as Netflix decided to produce a series based on the book.
5. Kenny Loh
A photographer cum storyteller, Kenny Loh published an amazing book title Born in Malaysia. He spent 20 years outside Malaysia then decided to come back to his beloved country in 2010 and started his journey to re-discover Malaysia. His book is filled with beautiful photographs of people and nostalgic places across the country.
6. Malachi Edwin Vethamani
Malachi Edwin Vethamani is not only a writer, but he is also a teacher trainer, poet, critic and bibliographer. He has published two volumes of poems and a collection of short stories. Malachi Edwin is outspoken in sharing his views about a certain topic and in one of his reading sessions, he said “A lot of poems are written in reflection and cover areas of broken dreams, family relationships that may or may not be complicated and most of all about love and its many challenges today”.
7. Charissa Ong
A beauty with a brain, Charissa Ong wrote, published and became a bestselling author at only 24 years old. Midnight Monologues and Daylight Dialogues are the two books by her that are received well by the readers. Her achievement in the publishing industry includes being chosen to be a finalist for the 2017 International Book Awards “Poetry” category as well as MPH’s Best Paperback Fiction Nominee in 2016. Believe it or not, Charissa Ong actually used to hate reading and she never thought of being a writer!
8. Zack Shah
Born in Johor Bahru, 27 years old Zack Shah is an author of 3 poetry books, More Than Words, Magic & Madness and Lost Souls. More Than Words is his debut publication that has been received positive feedback because it is beautifully written. He believes that there is something magical about rhymes and that perfectly describes all of his books.
9. Cheeming Boey
Cheeming Boey was born in Singapore but he grew up in Malaysia. He is well-known for his publication When I Was A Kid. His book is well accepted by everyone as it is filled with cute doodles that tell stories about his experiences growing up. He started his career by uploading a webcomic about the experiences of his day. When I Was A Kid is so successful in Malaysia and outside the country that has led Boey to publish a sequel When I Was A Kid 2.
