Mistresses of memories

One made her mark in publishing and the other in academia. SOFIANNI SUBKI talks to Edda de Silva and Dr Nesamalar Chitravelu, experts on memoir and biography writing

THEY are old friends who lived in the same town, went to the same secondary school and studied the same subject at the same university. But in the end, it’s their great love of books and the English language that’s kept Edda de Silva and Nesamalar Chitravelu close through the years.

Their relationship turned professional when they became an editor-author team in the 1980s. It was a long and fruitful relationship that lasted over 20 years.

Edda, 60, is the former managing and publishing director of Oxford University Press and Nesamalar, 64, is a former associate professor in the Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of Malaya.

Nesamalar, known better as Nasem, has the rare distinction of having written textbooks for preschool, primary, secondary and college levels.

The duo have joined forces to conduct a course on how to write memoirs and biographies. The first in a series that they’re planning, the course is for anyone intending to write an autobiography, memoir, biography or publish a diary.

“There’s so much change now,” says Edda, who put together and published a 32-page tribute book to acclaimed novelist Lloyd Fernando. “Our lives are so different from that of our parents and our children’s lives will be even more different. Malaysia is changing so rapidly. We feel it would good to record and capture some of this so we remember what went before.”

The course is for all ages. “At every age, you look at life in a different way,” says Nasem. “I don’t think you have to be old and mellow to write a memoir. A young person’s voice is vibrant, has hope and optimism. Everyone, not just people who remember things in the past, but also those observant of life as it is passing today, should write about themselves.”

She adds that when people write about themselves or their families, they are actually writing about Malaysia. “In terms of history, it’s all about the headlines and policies but there’s also lived history,” she says.

Among other things, course participants will be taught how to unlock memories, a crucial step in the writing process. Coming into contact with objects from the past, for example, can bring back reminders of a certain period. “It could be old calendars, magazines, cosmetic or cigarette boxes,” says Edda. “Even an old Green Spot bottle can take you back.”

Using the five senses as sensory triggers is another way to unlock memories.

“A whiff of a certain perfume, for example, can help you remember things about the person who used it,” she adds.

Other memory sparkers are life history questionnaires and free writing, a form of writing that frees the consciousness. “A lot about you resides in your unconscious and subconscious,” explains Edda.

“Writing is one way of releasing it. When you start writing, you start remembering.”

Kajang-born Edda spent her early childhood in Singapore before her family moved back to Selangor. She received her secondary education in Convent Kajang, Assunta Girls School and Methodist Boys School. She has a degree in English Literature and Master’s degree in Applied Linguistics from University Malaya. She also did post graduate courses in Oxford University and University of Essex. Her whole career was in publishing and she spent 33 years with Oxford University Press. She retired in 2005, lives in Petaling Jaya and spends three months of the year travelling.

Born in Kluang and raised in Kuala Lumpur and Petaling Jaya, Nasem has written over 40 books. She was the first head girl of Assunta Girls School, something she says she can’t seem to live down. She has a degree and Master’s degree in English Literature from University Malaya. For over 30 years, she was a lecturer and researcher at University Malaya’s Language Centre, where she did her doctorate on discourse used in annual reports by public-listed companies, the first of its kind in the country. She retired in 1999, lives in Petaling Jaya and has two daughters, both doctors.

Both women are hoping to inspire people to want to write about themselves or about anyone remarkable they feel needs to be remembered.

“But sometimes, ordinariness is itself extraordinary,” says Nasem. “Ordinary things give texture to life. We want to make people feel that whatever they want to write, it’s worthwhile. If they buy into that, they’ll have a confident voice.”

* Only 20 places are available for the three-day course beginning May 22. For more information, call Rozita at 03-7726 9078.