Matahari Books

Matahari Books is a Malaysian publishing company and imprint founded in 2007 by filmmaker, writer, and publisher Amir Muhammad. Its publishing program focuses primarily on Malaysian non-fiction and related cultural subjects, with books issued in both English and Malay. The imprint's list reflects an interest in contemporary Malaysian public life, politics, history, religion, popular culture, cinema, social identities, and everyday experience. The company emerged during a period when independent Malaysian publishers and small literary presses were creating more space for locally grounded writing outside the country's larger commercial publishing structures. Matahari Books' early titles included Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things, a compilation by Amir Muhammad illustrated in its first volume by Shahril Nizam and in its second volume by Fahmi Reza. The series used political quotations and visual satire to make current affairs accessible to a broad readership. Other early non-fiction titles included the New Malaysian Essays series, edited across its first three volumes by Amir Muhammad and Yin Shao Loong, and books addressing Malaysian cinema, education, religion, folklore, transport, and public discourse. Cinema has been an important part of the imprint's identity. Matahari Books published Yasmin Ahmad's Films, a book by Amir Muhammad about the work of the Malaysian filmmaker, as well as screenplay editions for KAMI the Movie, ESTET, and Pisau Cukur. These publications connect the company to Malaysia's independent film and creative communities while preserving screen texts as standalone reading material. Its catalogue also includes anthologies such as Body 2 Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology, edited by Jerome Kugan and Pang Khee Teik, and Orang Macam Kita, edited by Azwan Ismail and Diana Dirani. The imprint's catalogue combines accessible formats with subjects that can be politically, socially, or culturally sensitive. Works such as Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions & Facts, What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You, and the Malaysian ghost-story titles The Malaysian Book of the Undead and Kitab Pengetahuan Hantu Malaysia demonstrate the range of its approach. The list includes original English and Malay works, translations, edited collections, and books built around film or popular cultural material. According to the referenced description of the company's Facebook page, Matahari Books operates as an imprint of Buku Fixi. The former official website and an Amazon presence are cited in reference material, but no current official website is established here. Publicly available information in the supplied sources documents the imprint's founding, catalogue, language policy, and relationship with Buku Fixi more clearly than its current corporate structure, leadership, headquarters, or publishing activity. Accordingly, those undetermined fields remain unspecified.

Matahari Books was established in Malaysia in 2007 by Amir Muhammad. From its beginning, the imprint concentrated on subjects connected to Malaysian public life and culture rather than building a catalogue around international mass-market titles. Its first documented publication was Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things, compiled by Amir Muhammad and illustrated by Shahril Nizam. A second volume followed in 2008 with artwork by Fahmi Reza. The series positioned political observation and satire within an accessible illustrated-book format. The imprint developed its non-fiction programme through the New Malaysian Essays series. The first two volumes were edited by Amir Muhammad in 2008 and 2009, while the third volume, published in 2010, was edited by Yin Shao Loong. These collections were part of a broader effort to publish contemporary Malaysian perspectives and analytical writing. Other books from the period addressed education, religion, cinema, folklore, urban life, and popular culture. Examples include Farish A. Noor's What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You, Mohd Asri Zainul Abidin's Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions & Facts, Danny Lim's The Malaysian Book of the Undead, and Kitab Pengetahuan Hantu Malaysia, translated by Ahmad Kamal Abu Bakar. Cinema and screen culture formed another significant strand of the catalogue. Matahari Books published Amir Muhammad's Yasmin Ahmad's Films in 2009 and issued screenplay books associated with KAMI the Movie, ESTET, and Pisau Cukur. These editions extended the life of Malaysian films through printed scripts and contextual material, linking publishing with the country's independent filmmaking and creative sectors. The imprint also published mixed anthologies representing social and identity-based perspectives. Body 2 Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology was edited by Jerome Kugan and Pang Khee Teik, while Orang Macam Kita was edited by Azwan Ismail and Diana Dirani. Alongside these works, Taxi Tales on a Crooked Bridge by Charlene Rajendran and 120 Malay Movies by Amir Muhammad broadened the list's focus to transport, performance, film history, and everyday Malaysian experience. Matahari Books publishes in both English and Malay. The catalogue includes original works, edited collections, translations, and screenplay publications, making language and format part of its effort to reach different Malaysian readerships. Reference material states that the company's Facebook page identifies it as an imprint of Buku Fixi, although the supplied sources do not establish the date or precise legal terms of that relationship. A former official website and an Amazon listing are also referenced, but no verified current website is provided. The available record therefore gives a clear picture of the imprint's origins and documented publishing output, while leaving its present operating status, management, ownership details, and recent catalogue activity uncertain.

• 2010

  The New Malaysian Essays series reaches its third volume

  [1]Matahari Booksen.wikipedia.org

  New Malaysian Essays 3 is edited by Yin Shao Loong, continuing the imprint's publication of contemporary Malaysian essay writing.

• 2009

  Matahari Books broadens its cultural and film catalogue

  [1]Matahari Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Titles published or documented for 2009 include Taxi Tales on a Crooked Bridge, Yasmin Ahmad's Films, What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You, Body 2 Body, and screenplay books connected with ESTET and Pisau Cukur.

• 2008

  The imprint expands into essays, political satire, folklore, and screenplay publishing

  [1]Matahari Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The documented 2008 list includes New Malaysian Essays 2, a second Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things volume, The Malaysian Book of the Undead, Kitab Pengetahuan Hantu Malaysia, Body 2 Body, and KAMI the Movie.

• 2007

  Matahari Books is founded

  [1]Matahari Booksen.wikipedia.org

  Amir Muhammad establishes Matahari Books in Malaysia, with an emphasis on Malaysian non-fiction and culturally specific publishing.

• 2007

  First volume of Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things is published

  [1]Matahari Booksen.wikipedia.org

  The first volume is compiled by Amir Muhammad and illustrated by Shahril Nizam.

An independent Malaysian cultural publisher centered on locally relevant non-fiction, creative communities, cinema, social commentary, and bilingual English–Malay publishing.

• Books · 2007

  Malaysian non-fiction

  Matahari Books' principal category is Malaysian-focused non-fiction. The documented list covers politics, education, religion, cinema, folklore, transport, popular culture, and public commentary. Representative titles include Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things, New Malaysian Essays, Islam in Malaysia: Perceptions & Facts, What Your Teacher Didn't Tell You, and 120 Malay Movies. The books are published in English and Malay, with both original and translated material represented.

• Essay collections · 2008

  New Malaysian Essays

  New Malaysian Essays is a multi-volume edited series documenting contemporary Malaysian perspectives. The first two volumes were edited by Amir Muhammad, while the third was edited by Yin Shao Loong. The series forms part of Matahari Books' effort to publish locally grounded analytical and cultural writing rather than relying solely on imported or broadly international subjects.

• Political satire · 2007

  Malaysian Politicians Say the Darndest Things

  This two-volume series compiles notable or humorous statements by Malaysian politicians. Amir Muhammad compiled both volumes; Shahril Nizam provided illustrations for the first, and Fahmi Reza supplied artwork for the second. The series combines political observation, quotation, and visual satire in an accessible format and is among the imprint's earliest documented publications.

• Film publishing · 2008

  Film books and screenplay editions

  Matahari Books publishes books connected with Malaysian cinema, including Yasmin Ahmad's Films by Amir Muhammad and screenplay editions for KAMI the Movie, ESTET, and Pisau Cukur. This line preserves film texts in book form and connects the imprint with Malaysian filmmaking, screenwriting, and independent creative culture.

• Anthologies · 2009

  Mixed anthologies

  The imprint's anthology publishing includes Body 2 Body: A Malaysian Queer Anthology, edited by Jerome Kugan and Pang Khee Teik, and Orang Macam Kita, edited by Azwan Ismail and Diana Dirani. These collections broaden the catalogue beyond conventional non-fiction by bringing together creative and identity-focused perspectives from Malaysian writers and cultural contributors.

1. 1Matahari Booksen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Hitting the booksthestar.com.my