The First Five

Southeast Asia's literature is a rich mine of creativity, and stories and poems are readily accessible to readers who wish to take a quick dip into the literature of their neighbors. This anthology is a regional collaboration between authors and publishers from Indonesia, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, and Thailand, all nations that were founding members of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), established in 1967. Together, the insightful and timely prose and poetry in this collection, a mix of original English-language and translations, expresses the contemporary Southeast Asian experience.