{"product_id":"a-mosque-in-the-jungle","title":"A Mosque in the Jungle: Classic Ghost Stories by Othman Wok","description":"\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003eDescription\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs-content\"\u003e\n\u003cli class=\"active\"\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/files\/A_Mosque_in_the_Jungle_Sample.pdf?v=1634542644\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eLook inside the book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e    |    \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/farisbooks.com\/book\/839\/A-Mosque-in-the-Jungle\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eGet the E-Book\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e    |    \u003ca href=\"https:\/\/www.storytel.com\/sg\/en\/books\/a-mosque-in-the-jungle-1415849https:\/\/www.storytel.com\/sg\/en\/books\/a-mosque-in-the-jungle-1415849\" target=\"_blank\"\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eListen to the audiobook\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp class=\"p1\"\u003eYears before his political career took off, Othman Wok pioneered the writing of ghost stories and horror fiction in Singapore and Malaysia.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOthman Wok left an indelible mark on Singaporean politics and society: signing the Independence of Singapore Agreement 1965, overseeing the construction of Singapore’s first large-scale sporting arena, working to advance the quality of social welfare services, developing the Mosque Building Fund, and being (in the words of PM Lee Hsien Loong) “steadfast and unwavering in believing in a multiracial, multi-religious, meritocratic Singapore”, among many other accomplishments.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIn addition, he pioneered the writing of ghost stories and horror fiction in Malay while working as a young reporter for \u003ci\u003eUtusan Melayu\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eMustika\u003c\/i\u003e magazine between 1952 and 1956. These stories were fantastically popular, making him a household name in the Malay-speaking world, years before his political career took off. In fact, these tales may have been the first examples of horror fiction in either Singapore or Malaysia, in any language.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Mosque in the Jungle\u003c\/i\u003e assembles two dozen of the best stories from his three fiction collections in English: \u003ci\u003eMalayan Horror\u003c\/i\u003e (1991), \u003ci\u003eThe Disused Well\u003c\/i\u003e (1995) and \u003ci\u003eUnseen Occupants\u003c\/i\u003e (2006). Curated by award-winning poet and fictionist Ng Yi-Sheng, this book provides an entry point into Othman’s fiction, and a window into the work of a “literary genius” (Farouk A. Peru, \u003ci\u003eMalay Mail Online\u003c\/i\u003e)\u003ci\u003e. \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eOthman Wok\u003c\/strong\u003e was Singapore's first Minister for Social Affairs, serving from October 1963 to June 1977. He was also Singapore's ambassador to Indonesia and served on the boards of the Singapore Tourism Board and Sentosa Development Corporation. For his political, economic and social contributions to the nation-building of Singapore, he was awarded the Order of Nila Utama (2nd Class) in 1983 by President Devan Nair.\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eAfter retiring from politics in 1981, Othman was able to devote more time to writing, and became a regular writer of horror tales for a Malaysian weekend newspaper, Mingguan Malaysia. He published his biography, Never in My Wildest Dreams, in 2000, a project he agreed to in 1994 at the suggestion of his daughter, Lily. Othman also began compiling the short stories that he had written for various newspapers and \u003cem\u003emagazines\u003c\/em\u003e over the years. Some of his short story collections include \u003cem\u003eMalayan Horror: Macabre Tales from Singapore and Malaya (1991), Kisah-kisah Seram dan Misteri (1995)\u003c\/em\u003e and\u003cem\u003e Unseen Occupants and Other Chilling Tales (2006).\u003c\/em\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003e\u003cbr data-mce-fragment=\"1\"\u003eOthman passed away on 17 April 2017 at the age of 92.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003e \u003c\/strong\u003e","brand":"Epigram Books","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":39248714104945,"sku":"9789814901703","price":20.9,"currency_code":"SGD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0550\/0041\/products\/AMosqueintheJungle-CVF.jpg?v=1626665510","url":"https:\/\/epigrambookshop.xyz\/products\/a-mosque-in-the-jungle","provider":"Epigram","version":"1.0","type":"link"}