Despite having six children's books published in Malaysia, Phoenix Song - illustrated by Martina Peluso and published by Lantana Publishing - is my first picturebook. The others, including Timeless Tales of Malaysia, Eight Treasures of the Dragon, and the middle grade series The Jugra Chronicles, are for older readers and are set in the distant, indeterminate past. Phoenix Song is my first book with a contemporary setting. It is an adventure story for 4-8 year olds about a little boy who must find the courage to rescue his brothers when they go missing on the slopes of the hill behind their home in Malaysia. Despite its contemporary setting, the story is steeped in ancient Chinese myths and legends, forcing readers to question whether old beliefs and traditions still have a place in societies today…
Tutu Dutta
Top ten things Tutu Dutta wants you to know about her:
I was born in India but grew up in Malaysia. As the eldest and only daughter of five children, I had very few nice dresses to wear when I was growing up. According to my mother, it would have been a waste since there was no one to pass them on to.
My favourite country (after Malaysia) is Japan. As an undergraduate, I was awarded a scholarship by Japan Airlines to attend Summer School at Sophia University in Tokyo, together with 36 other students from Southeast Asia and Hawaii. Japan's rich cultural heritage was an eye-opening experience for me, particularly the refined and melancholic tales of the ancient Noh theatre.
The birth of my daughter, who is now twenty-two, changed my life. I made it a point to read every book she read as she was growing up, stopping only when they got too long and wordy, probably with Cornelia Funke's Inkheart when she reached thirteen. I did, however, manage to finish Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. I love the Harry Potter series, but I would have liked the diverse characters in the books to have been given bigger roles in the various story arcs. Still, they were better than the other books read by my daughter, where diverse characters were completely absent. The ten or more years spent reading children's books may have spurred me on to write my own books, which are based on Asian folklore.
My favourite children's author is the late Ruth Manley from Australia, who wrote three brilliant children's books collectively called 'The Chronicles of Old Japan'. These are: The Plum Rain Scroll, The Dragonstone and The Peony Lantern. Although Ruth Manley is not a diverse writer, her love for Japanese folklore and culture comes through in her meticulously researched books. Later on, I discovered Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni and her children's books, which are set in India. The Mirror of Fire and Dreaming is now one of my favourites. I also love Grace Lin's Where the Mountain meets the Moon; her detailed and elegant illustrations are an added bonus. Children's writing is going through an exciting time in Malaysia and some of the names to watch out for are Golda Mowe, Heidi Shamsuddin, Quek Sue Yian, Brigitte Rozario, Teoh Choon Ean, Ninot Aziz and Lim Lay Har. YA/New Adult writer Zen Cho's new book , Sorcerer to the Crown, is being published this month in both the UK and the US simultaneously.
I have two dogs: a Golden Retriever called Draco (named after a character in the Harry Potter series) and a Chow Chow called Choji (named after a character in the Naruto manga series).
I prefer coffee to tea and may be addicted to caffeine.
I am a foodie. In Malaysia, that's like saying, "I have black hair"! Here, everyone is a foodie and a food critic, to boot. I remember a German friend saying, "The Goddess of Food lives in Malaysia"! The Malaysian cuisine is a melting pot of Malay, Chinese and India traditions, not forgetting Indonesian and Thai influences. However, my favourite is probably the hot and spicy Indian cuisine. Not surprisingly, watching my weight is a constant challenge. My fascination with food extends to television, and at one point I used to watch every episode of Top Chef! It goes without saying that British chefs Jamie Oliver, Nigella Lawson, Gordon Ramsey and the American food critic, Anthony Bourdain, are household names. Anthony Bourdain even proclaimed Malaysia's beef rendang the most delicious dish in the world. Beef rendang is beef cooked in a melange of spices and coconut milk, simmered until almost dry.
Despite my love of folklore and fantasy, the other half of my brain believes in science and I can be a very rational, left-brain person. I am interested in wildlife conservation and even dinosaur extinction theories. One of the surprises of my life was the discovery that birds evolved from dinosaurs.
Cruelty to animals is intolerable to me. I support animal rights and I believe that all animals (except for flies, mosquitoes and leeches) have a place on this planet and a role to play in the circle of life.
Lastly, I am fascinated by mythical creatures and try to incorporate them in my stories. The phoenix in Phoenix Song is not the fire bird of Central Asia but the gentler, life giving Chinese Phoenix: Cendrawasih in Malay and Feng Huang in Chinese.
Tutu Dutta’s new book Phoenix Song (Lantana Publishing) is on sale in the UK now: http://www.lantanapublishing.com/books/phoenix-song/.