Malaysian-led publication launched at Beijing fair

BEIJING: A Malaysian-led international publication entitled Dragonlore from East and West was launched at the Beijing International Book Fair (BIBF) on Wednesday (June 19).

The launching ceremony took place at the China National Convention Centre (CNCC).

Published by Hikayat Fandom, its co-founder Rudy Daud said fellow co-founder, Ninot Aziz, invited writers from 10 countries to collaborate on the anthology in celebration of the Year of the Dragon.

The anthology features 24 stories contributed by an impressive line-up of writers and translators with many award winning personalities and academia including Emmy Award winner and founder of the global Lunar Codex project, Samuel Peralta (Canada); Cora Wang Siyao (China); Anna Kordzaia S (Georgia); Helmut Kunkel (Germany); Rita Angelelli, Renato Ghezzi; Maria Beltrami (Italy); Imam Qalyubi (Indonesia); Arian Tejano (Philippines), Can Yigit Tuncman (Turkiye); The Journey Man (United Kingdom) and Malaysian writers Teoh Choon Ean, Minah Sintian, Ruby Yusuf and Ninot herself.

Rudy said Ninot co-edited the anthology with Johnny Gillet while Malaysian illustrators, Walid Muhammad and Ariyana Ahmad brought justice to these compelling stories with visual masterpieces.
“These stories from both the East and West have highlighted our shared humanity for thousands of years.

Rudy (left) presents a copy of Dragonlore from East and West to Wong during the launching ceremony.

“They encompass a diverse range of cultures, from the icy Arctic to Ancient China, and from the Middle East to the heartlands of Southeast Asia, including the ancient Malay kingdoms of Malaysia and Indonesia.

“We also find them in the rich tapestry of the Philippines, the myths of Greece and the Inuit, European legends, and Chinese folklore,” he said.

With the encouragement of the Malaysian National Book Council and Book Capital, Rudy said Ninot initiated the project in 2022 with a vision to reach an international audience.

He said Hikayat Fandom chose to launch Dragonlore here to reach a global audience thus ensuring these enduring legends which have survived for millennia continue to be celebrated.

“These 24 retellings for the Year of the Dragon illustrate how we are kindred in our greatest dreams and fears, heroes and villains as well as tragedies and triumphs,” he said.

Dragonlore was earlier selected to join Canadian Samuel Peralta’s Lunar Codex – a mammoth undertaking of archiving 35,000 works of art, literature, and creative ventures from more than 200 countries and territories countries to be archived on the moon in 2024.

The Lunar Codex, a project of Incandence Corp. is an archive of art, writing, music, film, and more for time capsules to be launched to the moon.

Hikayat Fandom founded by Ninot and Rudy back in 2022 focuses on Malay Archipelago and Asian Legends, Folklore and Culture.

Its publication includes Hikayat themed anthologies, novels, and graphic novels in English and Bahasa Melayu.

Among the publishing house’s achievements include 50 Best Malaysian Books by the Malaysian National Book Council (Lipur Lara Nusantara (2020); Lipur Lara Alam Melayu (2022) and Bentala Naga (2022); Poem by Ninot Aziz An Urgent Warning: From The Sun. The Moon. And The Morning Star. included in the international Lunar Codex Project: The Polaris Trilogy: Poems to The Moon; Siri Hikayat Fandom Graphic Novel translated in Italian and in German; Dragonlore to be published in English, Malay, and Italian in 2024.