Sunday, March 30, 2014


JUST FOR RECORD (FROM THE NEW STRAITS TIMES- 3 jUN 2013


Poet Zurinah Hassan chosen recipient of Thai award

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KUALA LUMPUR -- Malaysian poet Zurinah Hassan has been chosen recipient of Thailand's 'Sunthorn Phu' award.

The 64-year-old Kedah-born will be bestowed the award in Bangkok on June 26.
In a statement today, the National Academy of Arts, Culture and Heritage (Aswara) said each Asean country chose its own poet for the Asean poetry prize.
The Malaysian selection committee for this award was headed by Aswara rector Prof Dr Hatta Azad Khan.
The statement noted that several of the poems penned by Zurinah had won national literary awards, with some of her work translated into various foreign languages, especially English.
Her poetry books include 'Sesayup Jalan' (1974), 'Di Sini Tiada Perhentian' (1977), 'Keberangkatan' (1985), 'Pujangga Tidak Bernama' (1994) and 'Memandang ke Pelabuhan'/(Facing the Harbour) (2010).
The Sunthorn Phu award was established last year by Thailand's Culture Ministry, with the cooperation of the Thai Poet Society.
It takes the name after Sunthorn Phu (full name Phra Sonthorn Vohaa), the most popular palace poet in the era of Rattanakosin.
Sunthorn Phu was born in 1786 and died in 1855. -- BERNAMA
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Read more: Poet Zurinah Hassan chosen recipient of Thai award - Latest - New Straits Times http://www.nst.com.my/latest/poet-zurinah-hassan-chosen-recipient-of-thai-award-1.292687#ixzz2xSda9qhW

Sunday, March 9, 2014

I have just came back from a great poetry festival held in New Delhi, India from 1 to 3 Mac


 , 2014. It was an honour to be among the invited poets of countries surrounding the Indian Ocean.  The festival is called the IORA Poetry festival named after the association- Indian Ocean Rim Association.I read poems in one of the session located for me. Very happy with the audience . The hall was filled up until the end. This was something quiet unusual in my country. 

The organizer  was The well known Sahitya Akademi . They were fully supported by the Indian Government through the Ministry of External Affairs It was a memorable occasion. Seventeen countries around the Indian Oceans sent their representatives to read poems in this important events. 

To commemorate the event was the publication of a poetry collection entitled SONGS FROM THE SEASHORE edited by K.Satchidanandan. Songs from the Seashore brings together around two hundred poems by fifty poets from eigthteen countries in the Indian Ocean region. The anthology is a unique collection of diverse poetic voices that beautifully articulate the memories, dilemmas and aspirations of the people of many countries and continents.