Taboo

Sharon Bakar, the creative writing teacher and writer based in Malaysia, on her blog http://thebookaholic.blogspot.com/ has recently written about the Singaporean writer O Thiam Chim who had to self-publish his novel because of the huge difficulty in getting fiction published in the region. Of his experiences of trying to get published conventionally, he is quoted as saying “I sent my manuscript to these publishers. Out of the four or five publishers … only two responded. One rejected my manuscript based on the taboo subjects I touched on in some of the stories, and the other had stopped publishing local titles and advised me to seek other avenues”

It seems curious to me that a publisher would reject a book for “moral” reasons because thhe subject matter was considered taboo. From a Western perspective, this raises a question about censorship - or rather, self-censorship - and whether or not a publishing company, being a private enterprise, has a role as a moral gatekeeper to what reading matter is to be available to the public. I sense, however, from an Eastern perspective, that the position taken by the publishing company has not taken anyone by surprise.

I am also curious as to what these “taboo” subjects might be. In the UK, I think that the only “taboos” left might be bestiality, incitement to paedophilia or religious hatred. But these are not so much taboo as illegal. In fact, I am not sure that any subject matter is taboo anymore. And even with the topics I’ve mentioned, I could imagine novels being published that address them - especially where the writing is powerful and the handling of the story sensitive or ground breaking. In the West, there is almost a moral imperative for creative artists to explore subjects that are taboo and for publishers - and art galleries - to support and encourage them.

I will see what more I can find out about O’s book and his “taboo” topics. In the meantime, I’d like to know your thoughts on this apparent East/ West divergence, especially if you are a Malaysian or Singaporean reader or writer - or publisher.