Author Faisal Tehrani is no stranger to controversy, having run afoul of people in high places in the past.

After all, a number of the award-winning author’s books are banned from circulation in Malaysia due to allegations that they contain deviant elements of Shi’a Islam.

In spite of this challenge, Faisal has continued to persevere in exploring topics, some thought-provoking and others taboo, in his recent novel, “The Professor”.

Centring around themes of LGBT rights, religious fundamentalism, societal conservatism and government authoritarianism, “The Professor” encourages readers to inspect their own perspectives on these topics.

Regardless of your own personal opinion, it is an interesting insight to how Faisal expresses his thoughts through the characters and events of his novel.

“The Professor” tells the tale of Suliza and her three female lovers, Wan Ros, Hashimah and Dalila.

In a non-chronological order, readers are taken on a journey to explore Suliza’s relationships, her intellectual enlightenment and how her life unravels.

From the onset, readers may notice the writing style that is employed throughout the novel has a distinctive feel to it.

When interviewed by FMT, Faisal said that JM Coatzee, Witi Ihimaera and Seno Gumira Ajidarma are among the authors whose writings inspire him.

The story is set in various locations, including the United States, Indonesia, Japan, the Middle East, Europe and of course, Malaysia.

Faisal has an enthralling way of describing each city that almost seems to be his own way of relating his travels.

Just reading about the train trips through the picturesque European and Japanese countryside will almost certainly kick your sense of wanderlust into action.

As you might expect, the book focuses on the theme of human rights and Faisal makes it clear how important the development of human rights is.

He brings to light the real issue of sexism and throughout the novel, the strong, independent female characters have to face the prejudices of society.

Other than women, Faisal also brings up the plight of the LGBT community and points out that they have been at the receiving end of cruel and even violently fatal discrimination.

The author has strong views on the Islamic outlook on human rights and how it relates to the treatment of discriminated minorities.

“My understanding of creative writing is that it is also critical writing. I have stated it so many times. I write to argue. Secondly, creative writing is not just about a writer being creative, it should also be about the reader thinking creatively,” Faisal tells FMT.

However, you might find his attempt at writing from a woman’s point of view somewhat troubling. Descriptions of female characters can come off as a little jarringly awkward at times.

Take this for example – “Hashimah Shim had thick, medium-length hair. Her neck was not too short, and her legs were long. She was tall and slim like her father, but she had a well-shaped bottom.”

His characterisation of women in particular is bound to raise some eyebrows, as the following excerpt shows:

“Most of the women [Jebat] slept with were feminists who seized the opportunity. Women who were sceptical of marriage, they want to lead, but at the same time believe that sex is a healthy sport that should be practiced regularly… he was known as the young-activist-satisfying scholar.

“He had many, many crazy feminists. Anti-men on the outside, or if they did not say that, wary about men and confident about their own body. Yet, in bed, these feminists could be frightening beings.”

Some readers might be disturbed with some of the more intimate scenes which employ a crude language.

But in contrast to this, when the academics in “The Professor” are elaborating their points of view, Faisal is clearly in his element.

In discussing topics such as the intricacy of Islam and human rights as well as political ideologies, a concentrated effort to further explore these topics will have been more than welcome.

Ultimately, no matter what your personal views may be on the issues brought up in “The Professor”, it is nonetheless an interesting literary exploration of the author’s point of view.

So, to decide whether this book is for you, give it a read and see what you think of it once you flip the final page.

“I believe that Literature with a capital L is sacred. I have faith in Literature. It is a kind of religion, a way of life, with diverse rituals,” says Faisal, who is now working on his newest satire, “Rusuhan Koro”.

“Our fight with the status quo motivated us to write, or to produce edict upon edict to challenge the powerful… Because of that my writings are serious business, it is not entertainment, it is not merely stories or causality.”

“The Professor” is available at Gerakbudaya.com.