EDITORIAL : THE NEW STRAITS TIMES, MALAYSIA

 

A quality read

"THERE is no frigate like a book
To take us lands away,

Nor any coursers like a page

Of prancing poetry
This Traverse may the poorest take

Without oppress of toll

How frugal is the chariot

That bears a human soul."

Though written sometime in the 19th century, Emily Dickinson's poem above has resonated with anyone who has ever had the experience of opening windows through the mere opening of a book -- travelling in space, time, universe, and emotions, just by riding on the written word. And, having discovered the secret to this magical journey, most are bitten by the travel-bug, and few can resist its pull.

But as with travels of the flesh, travels by book can sometimes be bumpy, depending on how well or badly the journey has been planned and organised. Storylines that have not been carefully thought out or are carelessly sewn together can cause the traveller to get lost and confused -- gaining nothing from the trip. Grammatical and spelling errors serve as tour-guides that one cannot comprehend -- or even worse, one thinks one understands them, but actually, one understands wrongly.

That is why book-publishing statistics can be misleading. Malaysia is currently ranked first in book-publishing in the Asean region, and 16th in the world by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (Unesco). For the last three years, Malaysia has churned out an average 16,000 books per year, and about 25 per cent of these are children's books -- resulting in an astounding 11 new children's books a day. But, for all that, the local book market is riddled with low-quality children's books. Take a random leaf-through some of these and one is accosted by not only appalling grammar and spelling, but by phenomenally boring storylines and storytelling. That these books sell nonetheless is probably a testament to the children's desperation for something, anything, to read. And that is heart-wrenching.

The government's move to set aside RM2 million every year to buy locally-published books directly from authors and distribute them to public libraries is a commendable idea. But it means nothing if the books that are bought are of sub-standard quality, for such a helping-hand would only encourage mediocre writers to continue churning out their garbage. If this spending is to have any worth at all, it should be focused on bringing quality books to libraries, and bringing quality libraries to the people. In fact, more should be spent building and filling libraries. E-books may be all the rage for the rich, but access to quality reads should at least be enabled for the poor, even if on a borrowed basis. To read or not to read should not be an option.