Written by critically acclaimed authors and migrant worker advocates, Shivaji Das and Yolanda Yu
New Delhi, 7 June 2023 — Penguin Random House is thrilled to announce the publication of a timely and thought-provoking book, The Visible Invisibles by award-winning and Amazon bestselling authors, Shivaji Das and Yolanda Yu. This collection of well-researched stories shines a spotlight on the often-overlooked experiences of low-wage migrant workers across Asia, offering readers a profound, intimate, and careful understanding of their lives – the everyday struggles, triumphs, and challenges. The book is now available on all major e-commerce websites in India and is released under the Penguin Books imprint.
Presenting a mosaic of gripping narratives, The Visible Invisibles tells in the authentic voices of those directly impacted by the complexities of migration. From the harrowing tale of a domestic worker fleeing from imminent danger to the poignant story of sex workers navigating the fallout of a global pandemic, each account unveils a compelling and eye-opening glimpse into the lives of individuals facing immense challenges.
By delving into themes of power dynamics, love, religion, racism, friendship, and migration’s transformative capacity, this remarkable collection offers readers a nuanced understanding of one of the defining trends in our world today. Combining their literary prowess, authors, Das and Yu’s personal experiences and contributions to uplift the migrant workers have led them to curate this collection of living stories that resonates with empathy, humanity, and a profound sense of purpose. It would appeal greatly to not only those who have migrated or are affected by migration but anyone keen on the subject matter and interested in the socio-economic-cultural nuances of migration and starting life abroad.
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About the Authors:
Shivaji Das is the author of four critically acclaimed travel, art and business books. He was the first prize winner for Time Magazine‘s Sub-Continental Drift Essay contest and shortlisted for Fair Australia Prize for Short Stories. He has been actively involved in migrant issues and is the conceptualizer and organizer for the acclaimed Migrant Worker and Refugee Poetry Contests in Singapore, Malaysia and Kenya and is the founder and director of the Global Migrant Festival. Shivaji’s work and his interviews have been featured on BBC, CNBC, The Economist, Travel Radio Australia, Around the World TV, etc. Shivaji’s writings have been published in magazines such as TIME, South China Morning Post, Think China, Asian Geographic, Jakarta Post, Conscious Magazine, PanaJournal, Freethinker, etc.
He was born and brought up in the north-eastern province of Assam in India. Das is an IIT Delhi graduate with an MBA from IIM Calcutta. He works as the Managing Director-APAC for Frost & Sullivan, a research and consulting company. He is currently a Singaporean citizen.
Yolanda Yu is a multi-time winner of the Golden Point Award. Her book Neighbor’s Luck, a collection of short stories was shortlisted for the Singapore Literature Award 2020. Yolanda’s work has been featured in LianHeZaoBao, Cha Journal, New York Times Travel, Zuopin Magazine, and Guangxi Literature Magazine. Her story ‘The Twelfth Man’ has been adapted for a film, while her story ‘The Missing Clock’ is a recommended read for O-Level students by Singapore’s Ministry of Education, collected in the anthology How We Live Now.
Yolanda is a co-organizer of the Singapore Migrant Worker Poetry Contest and Global Migrant Festival, also an event host and coordinator for outreach for the Chinese migrant worker community. Born in North-Eastern China, Yolanda came to Singapore on scholarship in 1998 and has been living there since then. She holds a Computer Science degree from the National University of Singapore and an MBA from INSEAD Business School. After her twenty years of corporate career, Yolanda is now an Executive Coach for career and leadership development.
About Penguin Random House SEA
Penguin Random House SEA was established in 2018 to discover and publish local and international voices across English-language adult and children’s fiction and nonfiction formats for Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, Cambodia, Laos, Brunei, and Myanmar. As part of Penguin Random House, the world’s largest trade book publisher, the newly established company is also dedicated to its mission of nourishing a universal passion for reading by connecting authors and their writing with readers. Headquartered in Singapore, Penguin Random House SEA will bring the spotlight on local authors from the region and simultaneously open the Southeast Asian market to diverse international titles. In its first year of operations, the publishing house is bringing stories from across the region and publishing authors such as children’s writer Eva Wong from Singapore, Malaysian novelist Tunku Halim, award-winning author and journalist from the Philippines Criselda Yabes, Indonesian poet, essayist, and award-winning novelist and food writer Lakshmi Pamuntjak and author and journalist Akshita Nanda from Singapore, to name a few.
