Monday, March 21, 2011

Libraries, a Wonderful Place to Find Your Own Books!


A friend introduced me to Worldcat.org where you can find books in world libraries, including your own. Just out of curiosity I punched in my name and after eliminating a few others with my name, including one who wrote about mining in several Western states back in the mid-40’s, I found some surprises, like Silverfish New Writings 4, that I edited, is in the University of Michigan library and the University of London School of Oriental and African Studies.  Tropical Affair is in National University of Singapore and as I blogged before in the Expatriate Archive Centre in Holland.

The Heinemann Asia version of Lovers and Strangers is in such places as Harvard, Yale, Cornel, University of Wisconsin-Madison and  Ohio University, as well as in two branches of the British Library.  Lovers and Strangers Revisited is in some of those same places, plus UCLA, University of California, Berkeley, University of Michigan, Columbia University, and of course the Library of Congress.  So is The Spirit of Malaysia, but since it’s new it has yet to make its way to the libraries yet and Trois autres Malaisie.will soon be in French libraries.

But right now I’m picturing some student in Harvard or Yale picking up that old version of Lovers and Strangers Revisited and thinking, wouldn’t it be cool to move to some tropical island and write books.

*Update: Expatriate Archives Centre just reviewed Tropical Affairs!

**Another update:  Someone at Ohio University did pick that old book and now they're adapting my short story "Home for Hari Raya" into screenplay and film! Also two short stories from the collection was taught there and I skyped with the students.

***Update, the 20th anniversary of Lovers and Strangers Revisited


Here are links to some of my author-to-author interviews of first novelists:

Ivy Ngeow author of Cry of the Flying Rhino, winner of the 2016 Proverse Prize.

Golda Mowe author of Iban Dream and Iban Journey.

Preeta Samarasan author of Evening is the Whole Day

Chuah Guat Eng,  author of Echoes of Silence and Days of Change. 

Plus:

Beheaded on Road to Nationhood: Sarawak Reclaimed—Part I 

2 comments:

sintaicharles said...

Glad that your books are found in all those prominent libraries.

Borneo Expat Writer said...

Thanks, it was quite a surprise, too.