Malaysia Remembered

by Yves Buelens

After two successful International Symposiums held respectively in Manchester and in Liverpool, the International Anthony Burgess Foundation took the decision to revisit Anthony Burgess’s roots in Malaysia and held the 3rd International Symposium in Kuala Lumpur.
The decision to organize a Symposium abroad dates in fact from the dinner on the last evening of the Liverpool Symposium in 2007. Liana Burgess presided over the dinner and, during a lively conversation, it was suggested that the next symposium could be held in a city where Anthony Burgess had lived and worked. Caroline Langdon-Banks, longtime friend of Liana, found this an interesting idea and went to whisper into Liana’s ear. Liana, nursing a Scotch, nodded approvingly and whispered something back to her. Liana had approved of the idea to promote Anthony’s work to new audiences and hinted that Rome may be a suitable location.
The idea lingered although no final decision was made. The Board of Trustees supported the proposal to host the symposium in Malaysia and the IABF and Dr Rob Spence – along with his long-time friend, Sharon Bakar - began the preparations. After several months of e-mails back and forth, establishing contacts, setting up a program, sending out invitations, advertising the call for papers, and prepping the whole event, the time and date were set: the Istana Hotel, Kuala Lumpur on 27th– 30th July, 2009.

For most, it was “only” a question of flying over to Kuala Lumpur. Participants flew in from all over the world. Some even felt they had stretched time to – almost - impossible limits due to long flights and large time differences. For some the journey resulted in long layovers in Dubai (they now know Dubai airport inside out) whilst others simply took direct flights (sensible, eh?) and yet others were almost able to arrive on foot. Believe us, when we say, that KL is not a city made for pedestrians!
As with the two previous Symposiums, old friends meet again. On this occasion, they were well protected from the heat of the Malaysian sun and enjoyed the deep chairs of an air-conditioned bar. We had some very welcome new names in the programme of this year’s symposium which illustrates that the appreciation of Anthony Burgess’s oeuvre is still expanding in academic and non-academic circles.

Conveniently organized in panels of three participants, the papers given during the Third Biennial Symposium of the IABF were the following:

• Prof Carla Sassi: "Taking Laughter Seriously : The MT as a Colonial Comedy of (Potential) Reconcilliation"
• Dr Andrew Biswell: "AB, VS Naipaul and the Idea of the East"
• Dr J’anine Jobling: "As Simple and Sharp as a Sword: Representations of Islam in the work of Anthony Burgess"
• Katherine Adamson: "Eucharist Ingestion and the Appetites of the Flesh : Cannibalism in Selected Novels of AB"
• Umapagan Ampikaipakan and Amir Muhammad: "Two Malayan Guys Talking Burgess"
• Dr Fatemah Azizmohammadi and Dr VM Madge: "The Clockwork Testament : Academy in Tatters"
• Nuria Belastegui: "I've been murdering my stepmother : Writing as Matricide in AB's Inside Mr Enderby"
• Yves Buelens: Skinning the Worm"
• Dr MY Chiu: "Ironies and Inversions : the Carnivalesque in AB's MT"
• Dr Christine Lee Gengaro: "The Curse of Music : Musician and Society in the Fiction of AB
• Tina Green: "That the me you want brother ? : Feminity and Performance in Beds in the East and Enderby's Dark Lady"
• Aude Haffen: "John Wilson, Anthony Burgess and Englishness : Conflict, Dialogue and Reconciliation"
• Dr Guirong Li: "Conflict and Resolution in AB's Earthly Powers"
• Jonathan Man: "Transcribing the Boor Joyce : Misinterpretation, Misreading and Artistic Defence in Burgess's Poet and Artist Figures"
• Paula Price: "Accommodating Cultural Conflict : Convergence Strategies in Time for a Tiger"
• Dr Alan Shockley: "Useless Creation : A Vision of Battlements and Composing in Prose"
• Dr Rob Spence: "Half-Babylon and Half-Birkenhead : Burgess and the Cold War"
• Christopher Turley: "The Intercultural Contexts of British Authors during 1960-1966 and AB's Dominance in this Tradition"
• Dr Anil Biltoo: “From Kampong to Nation State: Burgess on the Malay Language and Globalization”
• Dr Mohamad Rashidi: “The Malayan Trilogy and the Miracles of its Opening Lines: a Discourse and Theoretical Perspective.
• Ms Belvinder Kaur Kuldip:

Some pictures taken during the papers:

The KL symposium differed from previous events as this one incorporated a break in the middle of the programme to accommodate a very interesting and enjoyable trip to the city of Kuala Kangsar, where a visit was organised of the Malay College (M.C.K.K.) where Anthony Burgess taught in the 1950s. We were given a tour of the school and enjoyed a very humorous powerpoint presentation of its history. Gifts were presented, on behalf of the IABF, to the college as the staff were keen to expand the school’s library. As a result, the IABF provided several of Anthony Burgess titles, including his “Malayan Trilogy”.

The visit of Kuala Kangsar continued and made another stop in a second school, where Anthony Burgess had lived in the 1950s. Once again, the IABF were very pleased to make a donation to the library.

The corner window – in the above photograph – is now an office but was part of Anthony’s living quarters whilst he was teaching at M.C.K.K.
During lunch, the IABF was presented with a gift from an old student of MCKK who is now a photographer. The photograph contains images of the main building of MCKK which were taken over a 24 hour period and spliced together. The Foundation is proud to receive such a gift and is planning to display the gift in the new building.

Other local buildings where visited during this interesting day.

The next day brought a return to panels with everybody fresh from the previous day’s trip. For those of you, who couldn’t join us in KL we can only advise you to take the time to read the forthcoming collection which will contain a selection of the papers from this, and the 2007, symposium. They will be well worth a read!
The final evening included a musical recital and dinner followed – as ever – by drinks in the bar which allowed people a final opportunity to relax and chat, with new and old friends, in an informal environment. Dr Alan Shockley (accompanied by Christine Gengaro) provided us all with a particularly enjoyable and lighthearted recital of Burgess’s musical compositions, for which we are very grateful. For those of you who are unaware, Dr Shockley has just published a new book, entitled Music in the Words which has been reviewed by Dr Anthony Levings and this review can be found on the IABF website.

Sadly, this is where the official programme, of the IABF’s Third Biennial Symposium, ended. Dr Alan Roughley, Director of the IABF, rounded off the evening with a few words which prompted warm applause by – and for – all participants and guests. We ate a traditional Chinese meal and enjoyed a final evening in the bar – which could, it has to be said, have been almost anywhere in the world with lots of laughs, drinks, darts, pool and conversation between new/renewed friends. For some the journey home began on this, final, evening whilst the rest enjoyed a good night’s sleep before flying away ... and, yes, some even became re-acquainted with Dubai airport!