The Long Day Wanes: A Malayan Trilogy (Time for a Tiger The Enemy in the… (1972)

This trilogy is appreciated more by having lived the last seventeen years in Malaysia and Singapore (mainly Malaysia). The racial characteristics of the various ethnic groupings can still be discerned even though they are made somewhat cariacatures here. What is certainly interesting is the way in which culture and attitudes have changed over the last fifty years. Burgess accurately and comically makes considerable reference to the liking of the Malays for drink for example which has waned over the intervening years as the society here has been gradually islamicised. I do know however from those now at retirement age that his descriptions are spot on. There are good in jokes that a knowledge of the language assists. For example places and rivers are referred to as "Lanchap" (this is Bahasa Melayu for masturbation) and Kenching (this is Bahasa Melayu for urine or urination or of course "taking the pi**").
Must take minor issue with John. The main indian group in Malaysia are the Tamil's although there are Sikh's depicted in the novels. ( )

Burgess wrote some excellent books, but this is trash ( )

Great. Five stars if I didn't suspect that this guy was an alien plant to just produce great novels. ( )

I think it would mean more to one who's from Malaya/Malaysia. But because of its many "controversial" elements (racial stereotypes mostly) many people there would pass over it. A pity, because not only is it a very good caricature of Malayan/Malaysian society, it also serves as a warning of what things could become (have become?).

Apart from being a political and social diatribe, it is also a work of art. Burgess skilled use of wordplay and poetic prose is to be admired. ( )

I cannot believe I am the only owner of this wonderful book. Truly Burgess is a forgotten genious. ( )