And the Rain My Drink
 First edition | |
| Author | Han Suyin |
|---|---|
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
| Publisher | Jonathan Cape |
Publication date | 1956 |
| Media type | Print (book) |
| Pages | 319 |
| OCLC | 15687917 |
And the Rain My Drink is a novel by female Eurasian writer Han Suyin. It is set against a backdrop of the Malayan Emergency of the late 1940s and 1950s. It describes the methods used by the British colonial authorities and the left-wing rebels, and how individual lives were affected.
The story takes place during the fifth and last year of the Emergency. By this point in time, the MNLA (Malayan National Liberation Army) forces were decimated, but the war was far from over. To secure a steady supply of food and other necessities, the Communist Party desperately tried to maintain contact with people living on the outside of the jungle areas where the armed guerrilla forces of the Communist Party were hiding.[1]
The novel has been regarded as a partial autobiography of Han Suyin. She worked at the Johore Bahru General Hospital during the 50s, and she has many similarities with the narrating voice of the story. One of the most important similarities may be the sympathy for the communist detainees in Malaysia. This seems to have led to the novel being perceived as anti British colonialism. Despite this, the novel was a success and became somewhat influential in creating public opinion, criticising the British authority and its policies.[2] Han's husband at the time was Leon Comber, whose career suffered as a result of the novel's publication.[3][4] In a November 2008 interview, Leon Comber, who left the police force in 1956, three years before he and Han were finally divorced, commented: "The novel portrayed the British security forces in a rather slanted fashion, I thought. She was a rather pro-Left intellectual and also a doctor. I understood the reasons why the communists might have felt the way they did, but I didn't agree with them taking up arms."[4]
Republished in 2010 by Monsoon Books.
Bibliography
- Title: and the rain my drink
- Atlantic Monthly Press book
- Author: Suyin Han
- Editor: Little, Brown, 1956
- 306 pages
References
- ↑ "Kankan's Monologue » Blog Archive » Review of "And the Rain My Drink"". Xiekankan.com. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ↑ XIE Kankan 谢侃侃. "Kankan's Monologue » Blog Archive » Review of "And the Rain My Drink"". Xiekankan.com. Retrieved 2013-07-24.
- ↑ Vengadesan, Martin (2008) 'The officer who loved Malaya', The Star, 30 November 2008
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Vengadesan, Martin (2008-11-30). "Archives | The Star Online". Thestar.com.my. Retrieved 2013-07-24.