Cover image via The Sun Daily
Meet Kushairi Zuradi, an aspiring science fiction author. Late last year when Zuradi sought to have a collection of his short stories published, he was told by many publishers that Malaysians weren't ready for Malay sci-fi books. As he recalls to The Sun Daily:
Image via The Sun Daily
Tired of listening to publishers' excuses to not publish him, Zuradi, in August 2014, started his own publishing company, Simptomatik Press, and self-published his first sci-fi book called Biohazard, featuring 14 of his short stories that deals with microorganisms
Image via Cerpen Biohazard
Zuradi, who is currently waiting to start his housemanship, says:
Not only did Zuradi publish his own book of stories, but he has helped other science fiction writers get their works published
What's more is that he hopes to encourage more science fiction writing among the Malay community here and increase scientific literacy in Malaysia through his plans to create another company that will publish factual books focusing on science subjects in Malay
"I want to increase the science knowledge among Malaysians. I believe once they show interest in science, they will pick up Malay science fiction novels to read. That way, we will see a growth in the Malay science fiction readership," he tells The Sun Daily.
"I have a dream where Malaysia will one day host a science fiction literature festival."
He believes one of the reasons why Malay-language science fiction is not as developed as other genre is because many Malays are not interested in reading scientific books. However, he hoping to change this scenario.
"These scientific books will not be complicated. In fact, I will be using simple terms to explain the scientific theories. They will be reader-friendly."
Image via The Sun Daily
