The winner of this year's 2022 Epigram Books Fiction Prize, Karina Robles Bahrin joins us to talk about her debut novel, The Accidental Malay. Telling the story of Jasmine Leong, the workaholic scion of a billion ringgit bak kwa company, Phoenix, whose life changes when she discovers she is actually a Malay, the novel navigates tricky issues such as race, religion and identity in Malaysia - but aims to be accessible and easy to read. We talk about the inspiration and writing process for this book, the importance of regional prizes and publishers and the themes and inspirations that drive Karina's work. Then in Footnotes - with new Cormac McCarthy novels around the corner, we talk about authors who take a long time in between books, and what it's like as readers to wait and anticipate.

Produced by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharmilla Ganesan

Presented by: Lee Chwi Lynn, Sharmilla Ganesan

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Categories:  literature,  social issues,  environment

Tags:  karina robles bahrin,  the accidental malay,  by the book,  novel,  malaysia,  race,  religion,  identity,  author,