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About the Author

A collection of stories that explore the intersections and conflicts in family lives and sexuality that are typical in contemporary Asian societies, yet also universal. These stories are set from post-independent Malaysia to the early decades of the 21st century, the Covid-19 pandemic years. Women are torn between marriage and emancipated lives of their own, a young boy whose taste or memory is shaped by May 13, mixed-race couples split by the walls of race and religion, gay men’s love cannot be understood by their family or nation, a sex-addict has to come to terms with his own demons, an endearing but heart-breaking love between two young men, one with hearing-impairment, a bungling spirit causes further complications in attempting to fulfill a death wish and the withdrawal from a dishonest relationship. These stories are set against a backdrop of clash between superstition and modernity, longing, loneliness and the search for love and resolutions which often seem unachievable.
An internationally recognised author, Malachi Edwin Vethamani is a fictionist, poet, editor, critic, bibliographer and academic. His publications include five collections of poems, The Seven O’clock Tree (2022), Love and Loss (2022), Rambutan Kisses (2022), Life Happens (2017) and Complicated Lives (2016). Coitus Interruptus and Other Stories (2018) was his debut collection of stories. His stories have also been published in ‘Queer Southeast Asia Literary Journal’ (2020), Ronggeng-Ronggeng: Malaysian short Stories (2020), ‘Creative Flight Literary Journal’ (2020), ‘Business Mirror’ (2018), ‘Lakeview International Journal of Literature and Arts’ (2017) and the ‘Literary Page, New Straits Times’ (1995, 1996). A theatrical adaptation of three of his stories from Coitus Interruptus and Other Stories were reworked as monologues and performed as ‘Love Matters’ by Playpen Performing Arts Trust in Mumbai in 2017 and 2018. His short story ‘Best Man’s Kiss was reworked into a short play for an event called ‘Inqueerable’ organized by Queer Ink in Mumbai in 2019. He has edited five anthologies of Malaysian Literature in English: The Year of the Rat and Other Poems (2022), Malaysian Millennial Voices (2021), Malchin Testament: Malaysian Poems (2018), Ronggeng-Ronggeng: Malaysian Short Stories (2020). The Malaysian Publishers Association awarded Malchin Testament: Malaysian Poems the Malaysian Book Award 2020 for the English Language category and Ronggeng-Ronggeng: Malaysian Short Stories was shortlisted for the Malaysian Book Award 2023 for the English Language category. He is Emeritus Professor with the University of Nottingham and Founding Editor of Men Matters Online Journal.

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