Crises

Crises is a translation of novella Kegawatan by Faisal Tehrani. This fiction framed within a semi-biography is an experimental structure that sets imagination within a present-day context. Crises examines the various layers of crises: the psychological and physical crises in times of apocalypse, the ideological crises of opposing characters, and the internal crises of an individual confronting his past self and embracing his transformation. The fictional apocalyptic Crises epitomizes Faisal’s attitudes in his early years of writing. Replete with aspirations of Islamic purity and glory, this is posited as an alternative to a Western-centric conception of modern life that only promises disillusionment. It hints at postcolonial indignation, where the vestiges of that history are embodied by the newly-minted elite of English-educated Malays, while the native language and culture are relegated to second class. Hence, the central theme of the fictional Crises is hegemony of the mind, a reaction against the prevailing inferiority complex of indigenous cultures. The search for pride and inspiration is apparent in the final chapter of the fictional Crises, which presents a vision of the fulfilled Malay potential and celebrates the diaspora that has spread across the world.