Review - Penang Monthly

Small acts of courage to make the world a better place

5 min read

If he was not a household name before September 2, 2014, he should have become that after he, on that day, became the first academician in Malaysian history t...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

Short and Sweet comes to Penang

3 min read

Jackie Ashkin in Drive All Night.Something unique was taking place in Straits Quay over the weekends of September 5-8 and 12-15. Penangpac hosted some of...

by Penang Monthly

An Operetta on Masked Revenge

4 min read

Applause, laughter and gasps reverberated throughout Dewan Sri Pinang when Die Fledermaus took the stage on September 28. Sung in English (with lyrics projected...

by Penang Monthly

A Magnificently Rich Tome on Early Penang

4 min read

There are several questions about the history of Penang that have bothered me for quite a while, satisfactory responses to which cannot be found in any Malaysia...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

NonserviaM lifts heavy metal higher

5 min read

Non Serviam is the title of Greek black metal stalwarts Rotting Christ’s popular 1994 album, but there is no musical analogy between them and Penang&rsq...

by Marco Ferrarese

Chronicling the peaceful Penans of Sarawak

6 min read

It is curious why Paul Malone, an Australian reporter, decided to get knee deep into the shady story of the deception of Sarawak’s natives and the state&r...

by Penang Monthly

Singapore – A tough love story

4 min read

50 Things to Love about Singapore. Edited by Susan Long (Straits Times Press, 246 pages)Don’t look for “love” in the straightforward sen...

by Kee Thuan Chye

Stories from some young Malay minds

4 min read

They say don’t judge a book by its cover, and in the case of Young and Malay: Growing up in Multicultural Malaysia, I couldn’t agree more. The spunk...

by Marco Ferrarese

Is the Malaysian Extreme Music Scene Stagnant or Subtly Evolving?

6 min read

Ferrarese.To South-East Asia’s metal punk zealots, especially in Malaysia and Indonesia, Marco Ferrarese is no stranger. Travel writer, metal punk r...

by Izzuddin Ramli

The Penan’s Lament: “The Forest is Our Skin”

5 min read

Rainforest Hero: The Life and Death of Bruno Manser, by Ruedi Suter, SIRD (Petaling Jaya, Malaysia) & Bergli (Basel, Switzerland), 2015. Translated by Ali...

by Dato' Dr. Ooi Kee Beng

A Hokkien Play? No Big Problem!

5 min read

The stage at Sinkeh Studio is dimly lit; the vibe is electric, the performers pregnant with emotion. Nancy, Beh Hu Beng (or “Fishmonger Beng” in Hok...

by Julia Tan

Our Picks of George Town Festival 2018

7 min read

Isle of DreamsIsle of Dreams, a production of La Cie MaxMind, is a mythical story of epic proportions featuring gods, goddesses, spirits and zombie gods. Ye...

by Penang Monthly