Restricted & Banned Books

[Vixey]

For the avid readers among you, are you aware that works by Kahlil Gibran, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, just to name a few of the literary greats, are restricted or banned in Malaysia?

Yup. Seriously. Even books like Poems & Prayers for Children and Making Globalization Work are deemed unsuitable for Malaysians.

Check out the website.. Silverfish for the complete list of banned and restricted books.

Or here for the restricted list.

Karen Armstrong's work on religions and religious doctrines are one of the most concise and accurately portrayed but unfortunately all banned. Which is sad especially since our PM expressed a few days ago that there should be better understanding between religions & faiths for economic development.

How to have better understanding when key literature is being banned?

Aisey man.....

[USJ27Resident]

Meaning... officially - it cannot be sold in Malaysia.

But who gives a fish !!! I want, I go get.... its called via courier service Or if really really interest, I'll go get it myself dude... Singapore kan ada... just next door!

[penangkia]

Even the Australian Internet Directory is banned
See pg.41

What to do? We have illiterates deciding what is Suitable for Malaysians to read.

The part about the shipper is just incredible. We don't complain..we never complain. If we complain, the whole comsignment...hundreds of cartons of books will be open on the tarmac.......and.....

Sad, really sad.

[penangkia]

Meaning... officially - it cannot be sold in Malaysia.

But who gives a fish !!! I want, I go get.... its called via courier service Or if really really interest, I'll go get it myself dude... Singapore kan ada... just next door!

That's right. Actually, everytime you ban a book, you are adding publicity to the title and author...ends up selling more by other means.

[Vixey]

Meaning... officially - it cannot be sold in Malaysia.

But who gives a fish !!! I want, I go get.... its called via courier service Or if really really interest, I'll go get it myself dude... Singapore kan ada... just next door!

Ya..and I already know who to call for courier service....

*ahem* will pass you my list soon. You can start by locating Memoirs of My Melancholy Whores by GG Marquez....

[Ullas Sahadevan]

I am just curious to know, is Osho banned too?

[ahtal68]

I don't think Osho's books are banned in Malaysia, I had the opportunity to read most of the books. A friend of mine found them in an Indian bookstore in Brickfields and I got to read them while housesitting for her.
Very revealing and enlightening experience.

[Ullas Sahadevan]

I am a big Osho fan too. His thoughts/writings are very new age and more than anything else he is ribticklingly funny Very much a realist. I don't know how many here have heard his comment on the 'f' word? Well, that is just one insanely small part of this persona. Someone so rightly said reading one Osho book is like reading a hundred

Some talks here http://www.00100.dk/otoons/lectures/...3_lectures.htm

[munity]

Would Tun M's memoir be banned too if the authorities found it to be too critical?

Opps, I hope I'm not giving the authorities any idea about that.

[Sentinel]

I am a big Osho fan too. His thoughts/writings are very new age and more than anything else he is ribticklingly funny Very much a realist. I don't know how many here have heard his comment on the 'f' word? Well, that is just one insanely small part of this persona. Someone so rightly said reading one Osho book is like reading a hundred

Some talks here http://www.00100.dk/otoons/lectures/...3_lectures.htm

Well, I don't think Osho is on the banned list Ullas. If you're ever in Singapore, go to the ground floor of Peninsula Plaza downtown, there is an Indian bookshop that display their books on boxes way into the main hall. You can get some Osho tiltles there. Good price too, sometimes as low as S$9 for a good paperback...

[Ullas Sahadevan]

Thanks Sentinel for that bit of info! I will check that on my next visit Right now, I am just enjoyin the Diamondsutras Thanks Ahtal for that bit of info, closer home

[Sentinel]

Thanks Sentinel for that bit of info! I will check that on my next visit Right now, I am just enjoyin the Diamondsutras Thanks Ahtal for that bit of info, closer home

Ullas, do you have any idea how a bookshop (such as the one I have just recommended you at the Peninsula Plaza in Singapore) retail their books at such low low prices? I always though it was low rental but Peninsula Plaza ground-floor ain't cheap! Then I thought it could be buying in bulk, but places like Kikokuniya, MPH and Borders would be buying in higher volume than them... so what gives?

[Ullas Sahadevan]

I really don't have a clue either and I don't know much about the titles in store in this bookshop you mentioned. But maybe, they stock very rare books which they sell at a premium. This allows them to sell regular stuff (popular books) at a lower price than others. In modern Economics, its called 'the long tail' model. Online examples of long-tail business models would be Amazon and Netflix. Any thoughts?

[Sentinel]

I really don't have a clue either and I don't know much about the titles in store in this bookshop you mentioned. But maybe, they stock very rare books which they sell at a premium. This allows them to sell regular stuff (popular books) at a lower price than others. In modern Economics, its called 'the long tail' model. Online examples of long-tail business models would be Amazon and Netflix. Any thoughts?

I also thought it could be a "long tail" practice there but unlikely. Their paperback editions of Stephen Covey's 7 Habits and now the 8th Habit go only for S$9 last trip I was there 2 weeks ago.... And they can't be buying production over-runs because their titles are up-to-date too....