The Lat Laugh
Twenty-eight years ago, an autobiographical account of Malaysian village life called The Kampung Boy sealed Lat’s reputation as an astute cartoonist in Asia. It’s been translated into French, Japanese and, most recently, Portuguese. Last year, The Kampung Boy made its American debut. Its sequel, Town Boy, about Lat’s teenage years, will follow suit next month – proof positive that humour transcends cultural and language barriers.Why do you think your books have travelled so far?
Lat: Firstly, I think it’s because people are always interested in learning about other people’s cultures. Secondly, some time ago, graphic novels were all about the bizarre and the mysterious. Maybe people got tired of that and wanted something normal.
To the untrained eye your cartoons haven’t changed much over the years. Have they?
Lat: I prefer simpler things now. I don’t go into too much detail. Once upon a time I would draw a table at a coffee shop and what’s under the table. Now, I’ll just draw somebody sitting down. You cn’t even tell if there’s a table or not.
Have you ever been afraid that the creative well will run dry?
Lat: It started to go dry in the 80′s. (Laughing) But I realise that if I don’t do the job, there will be lots of people who will call up the newspaper office and write letters to ask why I’m missing. It’s like when I was a kid. I always expected to see Mandrake and Dick Tracy in the papers so I know how that feels.
We hear The Simpsons creator Matt Groening is a fan.
Lat: When I was in LA working on The Kampung Boy, somebody told me that Matt Groening liked my cartoons. So I got in touch with him. He liked work even before he did The Simpsons.
Are there any cartoonists that you admire now?
Lat: I’m behind the times. Those whom I admire have stopped drawing. I like people from Punch magazine.
What about up-and-coming cartoonists in the region?
Lat: I don’t want to mention any names; I want it to be an even playing field. Even my decision to leave Kuala Lumpur and return to Ipoh ten years ago was because I wanted to leave the field.
Do cartoonists find inspiration in other cartoonists’ work?
Lat: Oh yes, definitely. [My mentor] Rejab Had was Mr Clean. He always told me not to offend. Today I think you have to rude to create humour. And I definitely don’t belong to that group.
Has the world become less funny?
Lat: No. I still take out a piece of drawing paper, sit down and proceed to draw until I finish.
People must expect you to be funny all the time.
Lat: Yes, but there are times when I produce something that isn’t good. Then again, sometimes I’ll produce something that made me laugh when I drew it, but the next day I’ll get a call from someone saying they didn’t understand it.
Will we be seeing something new from you soon?
Lat: I’ve got something in store that, God willing, you’ll see next year. Maybe I’ll call it Lat and Easy because the drawings are all simple.
By: Siti Rohani
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