'Malaya 2057' - Visions of a futuristic, dystopian Malaysia
When one thinks of common settings in the genre of science-fiction, Malaysia is probably one of the last few places you might imagine as the backdrop of such a story.
But in the book "Malaya 2057: A Thousand Moons Have Passed", the latest offering from Martin Vengadesan (above), readers are taken on a curious journey into the future – 100 years after Malaya’s independence – to glimpse what a futuristic Malaysia may be like.
As it turns out, a futuristic Malaysia as imagined by...
When one thinks of common settings in the genre of science-fiction, Malaysia is probably one of the last few places you might imagine as the backdrop of such a story.
But in the book "Malaya 2057: A Thousand Moons Have Passed", the latest offering from Martin Vengadesan (above), readers are taken on a curious journey into the future – 100 years after Malaya’s independence – to glimpse what a futuristic Malaysia may be like.
As it turns out, a futuristic Malaysia as imagined by Vengadesan is one that has been drastically impacted and reshaped by disease and climate change – not that hard to picture, considering the Covid-19 pandemic that has significantly changed the world.
“I must say that even before Covid-19 came along, a key premise of the book is that the future world has been drastically reshaped by disease and climate change.
“This is quite cliched in science-fiction and I am far from the first to essay it,” he told Malaysiakini in an interview.
Inspired by science-fiction dystopian classics like George Orwell’s "1984" and Aldous Huxley’s "Brave New World", Vengadesan said he wanted his story to have a “very Malaysian context”.
“So, while the foundation of the story may not be unique, I think the way that I have told it is a little different,” he said.
As the Covid-19 pandemic started at the beginning of 2020, most of the world shut down with people being instructed to stay at home.
With nothing else to do at home, many people took up new hobbies or started new creative projects.
Work began seven or eight years ago
But for Vengadesan, "Malaya 2057" was not a product of the pandemic, but rather, he had started working on it around seven or eight years ago.
Like many of his other projects, the book lay dormant on his laptop for years, until he started trying to complete all his half-finished projects in 2018.
As a result of that, Vengadesan has since released three music CDs with the recording project Martin Vengadesan & The Stalemate Factor as well as his first book, "Malaysian Murders & Mysteries", which he co-wrote with his former colleague Andrew Sagayam.
The success of his first book – which is already in its third print run – encouraged him to carry on with his book projects, including "Malaya 2057".
“As soon as the movement control order (MCO) came around, I knew that it was a perfect chance to force myself to be disciplined enough to write it because a lot of the usual distractions were no longer accessible.
“Because the book is set in different timelines, I really needed to immerse myself in its reality and thus most of the book was written in blocks of leave that I took during MCO,” said Vengadesan, who is currently a member of the Malaysiakini team.
'Our beliefs are shaped by others'
Though the book is quintessentially a science-fiction story, it is interspersed with chapters of “genre-bending” narratives amid different timelines.
The author admitted that was one of the biggest challenges he faced while writing the book and he was often tempted to simplify the story so it was all in a single narrative voice and timeline.
“But I stuck to my original vision despite knowing that it is going to be a little tricky to navigate for the reader.
“The challenge is – will the readers want to stick with me as I take them through a topsy-turvy journey? he said.
As someone who was born in Finland and grew up in eight different countries in Europe, North America, Africa and other parts of Asia due to his father’s job as a diplomat, Vengadesan said he has always tried to seek out unique experiences and unconventional thinking.
This is reflected in the characters that populate "Malaya 2057", he said.
“I have minority views on a range of subjects from euthanasia, drug decriminalisation, the environment, ghosts, religion, politics, philosophy, relationships, ethnic roots and so on.
“So I believe some of that does come out through the characters."
So far, he said, he has received feedback on the book from an Indonesian friend of his, who enjoyed the plot twists and questioned him about the scientific basis for the future as depicted in the book.
“I do hope people can stick through with the book like he did.
“I would really like people to think freely, rather than with blinkers. From the womb to the tomb, our beliefs are shaped by others.
“True freedom of thought is something I value. If my book helps trigger one new intellectual experience for a reader, I will be thrilled,” Vengadesan said.
"Malaya 2057" was first released on Dec 8, 2021. Priced at RM30, the book is available at Silverfish Books in Bangsar Village 2 as well as through online order here.
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