论梁放小说中的砂拉越原住民书写 = REPRESENTATIONS OF SARAWAK INDIGENOUS PEOPLES IN LIANG FANG'S FICTION

Abstract

To promote the culture and heritage of Sarawak to the world, local Sarawak Chinese poet Tian Si（田思）introduced the idea of “Borneo Narrative”（书写婆罗洲）in 2002. Since then, it has evoked enormous support from other Chinese writers based in Sarawak. As a matter of fact, the local Sarawak Chinese literary field has already produced a large number of Sarawak-themed works during the past decades. According to Tian Si, Sarawak in East Malaysia has always been marginalised by West Malaysia in various areas. Most importantly, he was dissatisfied with the representation of Borneo by Taiwan-based Chinese writers from Sarawak and other writers from foreign countries, as he thinks that they have distorted the image of Borneo. To analyze the issue at hand, this thesis seeks to critique the idea of “Borneo Narrative” through discussion about authenticity（真实性）, as it is recurring concerns of the local Sarawakian Chinese literary field. To preserve the authenticity of the image of Borneo in their works, local Sarawakian Chinese writers should adopt specific writing techniques and orientations to enhance the meanings of their representations. This paper uses the fiction of local Sarawakian realist writer Liang Fang（梁放）as an example, as he is lauded for his representations of Sarawak indigenous peoples in the Malaysian Chinese literary field.