The Story So Far

Harris bin Potter and The Stoned Philosopher lampoons J. K. Rowling’s wildly popular series, and explores that one burning question: What if Harry Potter was Singaporean? 

I first conceived the idea for Harris bin Potter in 2009, after the viral success of my previous satirical short story, Little Red Riding Tudung. It caught the eye of Los Angeles-based TV producer Munira Maricar, who urged me to write more parodies, and suggested writing one based on the Harry Potter universe. Over the next four years, Harris bin Potter and The Stoned Philosopher would receive considerable attention from netizens in Singapore and Malaysia.

At the height of its popularity, Harris Bin Potter enjoyed tremendous social media attention, garnering more than 6000 Facebook shares, and even more Twitter mentions!

Now, the time has come for the next chapter in the story of Harris bin Potter: I’m beginning a crowdfunding campaign to turn Harris bin Potter into an actual book, but I cannot do it without all you Harris bin Potter-heads out there. 

The Preorders Campaign

My goal is to raise US$4000 for the first offset print run of 1000 hardcover copies. Harris bin Potter and The Stoned Philosopher will be printed in Singapore at Tien Wah Press, on Forest Stewardship Council-certified paper. The book will run for a span of 24 chapters, and will be between 250 to 300 pages long.

This parody is not endorsed nor supported by J. K. Rowling, Bloomsbury Publishing, Scholastic Press, Arthur A. Levine Books or any other publishers of the Harry Potter literary or film series.

The Designer

As a long-time admirer of artist Noma Bar, I hired the talents of local designer Janel Quek to produce a cover that draws inspiration from the Israeli’s works. The result is a minimalist, stripped-down piece that utilizes Mr. Bar’s ‘maximum communication with minimum elements’ maxim in depicting Harris bin Potter.  Victorian-themed borders, punctuated with repeat Merlion motifs, frame the work, misplacing the subject in time and space, an allusion to this unbridled Asian satire of a very popular British icon.

The Author

Suffian Hakim is your average heartlander. He was born, bred and educated in Singapore, and is grateful for having not studied in another country and picking up a misplaced ang moh accent.

Born to a ship engineer father and a spa therapist mother, Suffian spent his childhood not doing his homework, playing unlawful football in HDB void decks and climbing into monsoon drains. 

These drains would set the stage for epic battles with alien hordes, daring escapes from a T-Rex, and elaborate plans to bring down evil overlords.

His fascination with monsoon drains faded with age and a burgeoning propensity towards hygiene, but the unbridled proliferation of his imagination led Suffian to search for an outlet. Inspired by the works of Mel Brooks, J. M. Barrie, Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett, Suffian explored creative writing at the age of 14.

Through writing, the then-student of Saint Joseph’s Institution would create fantastic, absurd worlds inside his head, and fill them with madcap personages and offbeat locales. Suffian would fill entire exercise books manifesting his vision in written form, creating stories that are typified by a subtle worldliness hiding behind irrepressible layers of crazy. This hobby evolved into habit, and it was one that Suffian carried into tertiary education and National Service.

A few years on, Suffian would wake up and realise he had inadvertently become an adult. In the ensuing panic, he wrote for magazines including August Man, Style Salam and TimeOut Singapore, dabbled in social media management and worked on MediaCorp Channel 5’s comedies Random Island and The Noose. 

Comedy proved to be one of the most formidable challenges Suffian has faced in his career, but in October 2012, he went even further away from his comfort zone. Goaded by friends, he tested his comedic skills as both a writer as well as a performer when he braved the stage as a first-time stand up comedian at Singapore’s leading open-mic comedy night, Comedy Masala.

Suffian is now the Creative Director at newly minted local production company Pun Intended Media Productions. Had he not chosen writing as a career path, he would have been a satay connoisseur, or a botanist.

The Launch Party!

Prepare to go on a magical journey into the world of Harris bin Potter, with the world's first ever Malay Book Launch Comedy Party! We plan to celebrate it by laughing our pantats off.

The magic's reaching your hands soon, and we're gonna celebrate it with a gathering of friends, family and fellow Harris bin Potter-heads. 

Those who support $20 to the campaign or higher where guests will receive their copies and experience readings by local voice talents and comedians!

More details on the launch party here.

WINGARDIUM LAVIOSIAL!