Uthaya Sankar SB (born Taiping, Perak) is a Malaysian writer who writes in Bahasa Malaysia. Some of his writings are also available in English and Tamil in his blog.
He writes non-conventional short stories as well as poetry, novels and articles. Some of his writings have been translated to Tamil, Mandarin and English.
He was a lecturer, newspaper reviewer, newscaster and TV news editor from 1996 to 2009. He is also the founder president of Kavyan.
Uthaya Sankar SB was bred in Taiping, Perak before moving to Klang, Selangor and later settling in Shah Alam, Selangor.
Many assume that he grew up in a Malay environment and that is the reason he can write and speak Bahasa Malaysia well. But that is far from the truth. He grew up in a village (Aulong Lama in Taiping, Perak) where the majority were Indians and there were only two Malay families. (theSun, 16 July 2009)
His criticisms of Tamil literature in Malaysia entitled "What Tamil Writers?" (New Straits Times, 11 February 2004) drew a response from R. Karthigesu.
Dina Zaman calls him "honestly blunt" in an article she wrote in New Straits Times (4 July 2001) while Rachael Philip admits that he is "undeniably talented" in New Straits Times (28 August 2005).
Amir Muhammad refers to Uthaya as "one of our brightest literary stars and has won many awards" in The Edge (19 November 2001) and "a local Haruki Murakami" in News Straits Times (28 January 2005).
"Uthaya’s particular gifts lie in his narrative skill and playful deconstructions of the story form. He easily ranks among the finest writers in this country because his seriousness of purpose is wedded to an admirable lightness of touch. He has fun with the stories, and the fun is infectious" says Amir Muhammad in New Straits Times (13 February 2002) and "He has been one of our most prolific and consistent creative writers for over a decade" in Malay Mail (23 July 2008).
He is also known as "a writer who does not fail to capture the attention of his audience with his outspokenness and, not to forget, provocative introductions" as mentioned by Cheah Phaik Kin in New Straits Times (2 December 1998).
In Rachael Philip's opinion, Uthaya is "Swaggeringly arrogant. Impudently bold. Undeniably talented. ... a regular bloke; no mood swings and eccentricities that regularly surround an author" as mentioned in New Straits Times (28 August 2005).
He manages his blog in Bahasa Malaysia at www.uthayasb.blogspot.com and is also reachable at www.facebook.com/uthaya
Read more about Uthaya Sankar SB: Works