PENANG, Malaysia -- In a beautifully refurbished colonial building next to George Town's coastal thoroughfare, a tight-knit yet diverse crowd is hungry for answers. A microphone is passed around, and people rock nervously in their chairs as they wait to throw questions at a row of international authors and editors, who are animated after a heated discussion. Above their heads, the demeaning word "monsters" poses a question: Are writers really monsters -- prodigious or hideous -- in the age of fear and globalization?
"This year's George Town Literary Festival's theme -- 'Monsters and (Im)mortals' -- could not be more timely," said Gareth Richards, owner of Gerakbudaya Bookshop Penang and Impress Creative editorial, and one of the festival's co-curators -- the other is translator Pauline Fan.
