by Karen Arulsamy
Margaret Lim celebrates and preserves the cultural heritage of Malaysia through the creation of the character “Payah”, an 8 year old Kayan girl from Sarawak.
We see the beautiful backdrop of Sarawak’s villages, the large but close-knit families, and the animals that inhabit the lush rainforests of Borneo through the eyes of Payah. “Payah” was the first children’s book that Margaret wrote which was then followed by four other books based on her childhood years growing up in rural Sarawak. Her books are illustrated by her daughter Su Jen Buchheim and published by her family’s company Fairy Bird Children’s Books.
Margaret’s experience as a secondary school teacher in the interiors of Sarawak coupled with her own childhood memories inspires her characters and the elements she would include in her stories. She emphasizes local people, places, animals, and objects that Malaysian children can easily relate to.
Her literary contributions have been recognized worldwide. On April 6th, 2007, she was included in the Sarawak Women’s Museum. In 2008, she was nominated for the prestigious Astrid Lindgren Memorial Awards (ALMA), an international children’s literary award that honours authors for their outstanding work.
Her book “Nonah or the Ghost of Gunung Mulu” was also selected by the International Board on Books on Young People (IBBY) to be on their 2010 Honour List.
Young Margaret’s love of reading classics such as The Iliad, Tom Sawyer, Treasure Island, and King Solomon’s Mines spawned her interest in becoming a librarian, museum curator, or even an archaeologist!
After obtaining a B.A in English Literature from the University of British Columbia and a Bachelor’s of Education from Queen’s University, Margaret became a teacher. She taught English Literature to indigenous students sitting for their O-Level exams. After marriage, she moved with her husband to Germany but visited and stayed in Malaysia when she had the opportunity.
Margaret Lim passed away peacefully on May 8, 2011 due to cancer. Her memory burns stronger whenever a child reads about the adventures of Payah or Nonah or the other characters she brought to life. Margaret understood the desire of children for adventure sans obstruse plots and fed that desire with simple yet enchanting stories of life in the forests of Sarawak.
To learn more about Margaret Lim and her work, visit www.margaretlim.webs.com
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