Balestier Press publishes the best and most original voices in Contemporary World Literature, Humanities and Social Sciences.

  • Kresek: Daily Life of Plastic BagsQuick View
    • Kresek: Daily Life of Plastic BagsQuick View
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    • Kresek: Daily Life of Plastic Bags

    • by Cynthia Delaney Suwito   Some may like plastic bags for their convenience, while others may dislike them for polluting the environment. Regardless of anyone’s stance, the plastic bag as an object is just something that passes through our lives. Kresek is the rustling of plastic bags in Bahasa Indonesia. It is also the title of this light-hearted wordless comic,…
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  • Sleepy, Sleepy New YearQuick View
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      Sleepy, Sleepy New YearQuick View

    • Sleepy, Sleepy New Year

    • GBP 11.99 GBP 9.99
    • Story and Illustrations by Meng Yanan  Bao Bear has never heard of Chinese New Year. He decides to invite the Fox, Mouse, and Bunny families together to learn more about this celebration. However, as the end of autumn nears and Bao Bear gets sleepier, can he stay awake to find out? From the Bronze and Sunflower Picture Book Award-winning author…
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  • The Charter: And Thirteen Other Stories about JapanQuick View
  • The Illusions of Self: Tanka by Takuboku Ishikawa, with notes and commentaryQuick View
  • UnrestQuick View
    • UnrestQuick View

    • Unrest

    • GBP 13.99
    • by Yeng Pway Ngon   When the fervour of revolution is gone, what remains? Four leftist teenagers in 1950s Malaya dedicate themselves to overthrowing colonialism and bringing about a better world. With time, their paths diverge — into capitalism, into adultery, into the dark heart of the Cultural Revolution. Disillusioned and middle-aged, they look back at their lives from the…
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  • Wholly Esenin: Poems by Sergei EseninQuick View
    • Wholly Esenin: Poems by Sergei EseninQuick View
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    • Wholly Esenin: Poems by Sergei Esenin

    • GBP 13.99
    • Translated from the Russian, Notes and Commentary by Roger Pulvers. "If you want to know how Russians feel about their country, read the poetry of Sergei Esenin. "The 'old plank bridge' spans not only eras but centuries; not only one Russia with another, but Russia with the rest of the world." So writes acclaimed author and translator Roger Pulvers about…
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  • Black DragonflyQuick View
    • Black DragonflyQuick View

    • Black Dragonfly

    • by Jean Pasley The year is 1890. Western influences are flooding into Japan. A nomadic Irishman arrives to record this unique culture before it vanishes. In this richly imagined novel, late nineteenth century Japan is brought vividly to life. Based on the remarkable experiences of the Irish writer, Lafcadio Hearn, and drawing on his letters, essays and books, Jean Pasley…
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  • Exile or PursuitQuick View
    • Exile or PursuitQuick View

    • Exile or Pursuit

    • GBP 13.99
    • by Chia Joo Ming   Hok Leong only knows one thing about his future: he does not want to become an office boy buying coffee for his superiors. Beyond this, he wants only to roam the streets of Singapore with his rough and tumble gang of boys—that is, until he is assigned to be the Chinese tutor for the new…
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  • I Am Hua MulanQuick View
    • I Am Hua MulanQuick View
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    • I Am Hua Mulan

    • Original text by Qin Wenjun Illustrations by Yu Rong Translated by Helen Wang A bilingual (Chinese-English) children´s book retelling a story of famous Chinese heroine Hua Mulan. The main character of the book is a small girl who loves stories about Hua Mulan. She enjoys reading about her adventures and she even dreams about her. She wants to be exactly…
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  • Lonely FaceQuick View
    • Lonely FaceQuick View

    • Lonely Face

    • GBP 10.99
    • by Yeng Pway Ngon Singapore, late 1980s. As women gain power and independence, what's an insecure guy to do? Lonely Face is the story of a man on the cusp of middle age, left behind by changing times. Fleeing his crumbling marriage on an overnight bus to Genting Highlands, he tries his luck at slot machines rather than the vagaries…
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  • Myna Bird as Free as a CloudQuick View
    • Myna Bird as Free as a CloudQuick View

    • Myna Bird as Free as a Cloud

    • Illustrations by Yu Rong Translated by Helen Wang A story about love and freedom narrated from the point of view of a lost myna bird which comes to human society. Beautifully illustrated book using Chinese paper cuts.     Ages:   3+ ISBN:  978-1-911221-296 Format: Paperback 216 x 216 mm Pages: 40 pp Colour Publication Date: 15 December 2020  
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  • Akbar’s IndiaQuick View
    • Akbar’s IndiaQuick View
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    • Akbar’s India

    • by Marcia Thompson Akbar’s India tells the story of Akbar (emperor of India 1556 -1605) through eight paintings. The paintings were selected from many produced in his workshops to tell the story of his remarkable reign. The book was written and the different exercises were devised to encourage children to give the pictures more than a cursory glance - to help…
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