ON MALAYSIAN LITERATURE

Saturday, November 9, 2024

 A NEWSPAPER INTERVIEW WITH ZURINAH HASSAN

AFTER RECEIVING NATIONAL LITERARY AWARD (ANUGERAH SASTERA NEGARA)

 

On 13th of October 2015 I was announced  a receiver of Anugerah Sastera Negara, making me a Malaysian literary laureate. This  event was given more significance because I am  first female writer to be conferred the tittle of Sasterawan Negara . The announcement was made by Minister of Education in a press conference in Putrajaya. Several newspaper interview followed. This is an extract of one of them.


1) What and who inspired you to be a writer and poet? Tell me about your early years and your family?  

 

ANSWER:  

 I GREW UP in a village near Sungai Petani in Kedah. Start to love poetry from small. It all began with my hobby, that ia listenin to songs from the radio. I was touched by beautiful lyrics . Most songs use pantun (one of our traditional poetry) as their lyrics.  I listened and was attracted to the beauty of words and language. This lead me to a new hobby, that is writing short verses like pantun. I  began to write  poetry and send them to poetry pages in papers like Berita Harian which had special colomn for students. They call it Ruangan Pelajar or Students Page.  . In 1967 my poetry began to appear in news papers and magazines including Dewan Sastera, Dewan Masyarakat, Berita Minggu, Mingguan Malaysia. 

As to who encourage me? Several people, including my late uncle Ahmad Aris Eckhardt who was a writer himself . He sent me money to buy a typewriter so that I can write to newspapers. I felt committed to pay him back by producing good work. So I went writing and tried hard to improve.  This was  an obligation.  

 

This award will be bestowed by the Agung who is the Sultan of Kedah. That added more meaning and  happiness. As Sultan of Kedah he came to our school on Speech Day. The school held exhibition to highlight good work and talents among students. My Bahasa Melayu  teacher suggested that I wrote poetry to be compiled  in an album. After the big day,  my teacher said that the Sultan commented  my poetry. This give me much encouragement to go on.  

 

 2.  What is your reaction of winning sasterawan negara? 

Naturally I feel very happy to be the first female writer to hold the tittle of Sasterawa Negara. However this does not come suddenly or as a surprise. The newspapers in my country always play up the issue of who is to be the next sasterawan negara. There are usually debates and polymec. Several names (including mine) have been mentioned again and again.  My name has been mentioned and speculated  as among the writers that should be considered seriously for the award.  With the confirmation , I should say it ends up the tension . 

 Beside that I feel responsible to produce better work. The tittle comes with duty and responsibility.  I have to be more alert and more careful in writing to befit the tittle of sasterawan Negara.

 

 3.What is the biggest change you like to see taking place in our society? 

 I wish to see  the general public  being  more literature conscious  or what we termed as "celik sastera". . The society should give more value and respect to literature and other arts. But our general public  are more attracted to entertainment. Because of this the entertainment industry are given priorities even by the authority.  Television stations are putting more time and money to organize maharaja lawak, and vaious singing competitions that could guarantee more viewers and advertisers. The winners will be loaded with  cash prize, much more than what a Sasterawan Negara can dream of. 


 

The world is reading the works of Japanese writers like Haruki Murakami, Yoko Agawa and Indian writers like Arudhati Roy. Why do you think the world is not reading the works of Malay authors yet?

 

ANSWER:  I hope the day will come when the world know us. Translation is very important . That is why I place much hope in Institut Terjemahan and Buku Malaysia.They are doing good job in publishing original tittles but I hope they do not slow down translating our original karya sastera into English, at least. Please go on bringing our work to the world. 

On my part,  translate my own work, some poems and short stories,  into English. Some of these have been published by ITBM  and Dewan Bahasa. Worth mentioning here is a dual language poetry book,  FACING THE HARBOUR/MENGHADAP KE PELABUHAN. What I considered significant is that the English translation version have attracted attention of other translators to put them from  English to other languages. The book is now in Spanish, Russian, French, Japanese.  


You have written short stories and novel but your favourite genre is poems. Why do you like poems better? 

 

ANSWER: My first encounter with literature was with poetry. This mostly came via children song an songs I heard over  the radio.  Songs that we sing in our childhood almost all of them are poetry.  Another thing, poetry is shorter. It was not possible to write  short stories and what more,  novels at that time when I did not hav a type writer.   We had to use a typewriter (if we are lucky to have one). Imagine the typing we have to do, to alter a word you need to re type the whole page. And if the page affect other page, that page also have to be repaired and retype. IIt  can break a few veins.Computer was unheard of.





 






Monday, October 31, 2022

TAMAN WARISAN , Kuali Hitam Enterprise, 2022, diselenggarakan oleh Sasterawan Negara Zurinah Hassan. Buku ini memuatkan puisi-puisi tradisi, Pantun, Syair, Gurindam, Seloka karya nama-nama yang terkenal dalam bidang ini.  Penulis-penulis terdiri dari Roslan Madun (Raja Syair Nusantara), Ghazali Lateh, Nazim Mohd Subari dan Shamsudin Puteh. Pada keseluruhannya buku ini memperlihatkan bagaimana puisi tradisi berkembang di dalam era digital. 


Puisi Warisan semakin diminati pada masa ini. Buku ini memberi pendedahan kepada pembaca, khasnya golongan generasi muda , tentang ciri-ciri puisi warisan . Secara khusus ia memberi panduan kepada mereka yang berminat untuk menulis puisi-puisi tradisi. 



Taman Warisan juga menyediakan teks syair, gurindam, seloka yang sesuai untuk digunakan dalam  persembahan dan pertandingan . .
 





 

Tuesday, October 19, 2021

         





 I have translated my own poems into English.  Most  of the translated works have been published in a book entittled Menghadap ke Pelabuhan/ Facing The Harbour. The book is first printed in 2010 by Institute of Translations and Books, Kuala Lumpur Malaysia. 

The poems featured here have been written after Menghadap ke Pelabuhan/Facing The Harbour. They have been included in a book A Journey Through Prose and Poetry , co published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia and IIUM Press in 2018. IIUM stands for International Islamic University Malaysia. 


Generation Without Nostalgia speaks of our kids today. Everyday they are left behind by their parents who have to work and struggle in this modern world. The house helps are sometime not trustworthy. The parents come home late due to heavy traffic on the road and the children were confused whether their parents truly love them. 


One particular incident mentioned in the poem is when the child impatiently waited for her parents to arrive home to hand them an invitation  to the prize giving ceremony. She thought the news that she has acheived  top position in class would make them happy and proud. They seemed happy when they first heard  the news and praised their daughter  for beating her classmates. But that night the she heard them arguing as to who should attend the ceremony. Father said he has a very important appointment while mother shouted why it must be her who sacrificed all the time. She too has to take care of her career and profession. Apparently both of them are ambitious.


The poor child could not take anymore. She was heart broken.



GENERATION WITHOUT NOSTALGIA

 

I have heard

My Mom and Dad telling stories

Of their childhood days

In a village far away

With their parents and grandparents,

full of affections

of nights that passed by

in cradles and lullaby

Their childhood must have been

A wide field of nostalgia

Lush garden of memories

 

How they often said

That Childhood time

is most happy and fun

In the life of everyone

 

I listen and think again

When I grow up

What stories will I tell

To my offspring

No, probably I will not tell anything

Perhaps I will not mention a word

about my childhood

 

Let the pictures dispersed

 my little sister crying every morning

and mama restless and rushing

push her towards our maid

and the maids are always changing.

 

I do not want to remember

How I cuddled to my father

To say something like I miss him

I trembled when he screamed

I have spoiled his concentration

On his favourite show on television

 

I will not recall how the servant

Fierce and stern

Drove me and little sister to our room

Telling us to remain in silent

I was desperate when  sister said

“Kakak I am hungry my tummy ached”

But we did not dare to speak out

Just praying for mama to show up

But in the evening

Mama would phone home complaining

There is a prolonged meeting

Or traffic congestion on Federal Highway

Almost everyday

 

What is the use recalling the happy morning

I obtained exam result

that should make every parents proud

I was impatient, waiting for my parents

As soon  as I heard the car

I ran to hand  a letter of invitation

To the ceremony of prize presentation

I was hugged in praise and admiration

That I have beaten other children

 

I was full of excitement

Until later I heard my parents in argument 

Dad said 'You have to go the school alone

 That very  day I am meeting the Minister.

It's not easy to get another appointment "

And mama replied  almost shouting

"It is always me who has to do everything

Its always me who give in

Put off work, sacrifice my performance record

And not appreciated "

 

 They shouted at each other

 I could not bear to hear

I had hoped to bring joy with my achievement

but it brought burden and argument.

 

Day after day

Deprived of tender loving care

We grow up and mature

Into generation without nostalgia.

 

(original tittle: Generasi Tanpa Nostalgia)


                GENERASI TANPA NOSTALGIA

Pernah juga aku mendengar

Mama dan ayah bercerita

Tentang masa kecil mereka

tentang kampung nan jauh di mata

bersama nenek, atuk dan moyang

 yang penyayang

Mendodoikan  mereka

dengan nazam dan bauaian

Kiranya masakecil mereka

padang luas nostalgia

Taman rimbun kenangan

 

Pernah kudengar

Kata orang dewasa 

Zaman kanak-kanak

adalah waktu paling bahagia

Dalam hidup setiap manusia.

 

Aku mendengar dan memikir sendiri

Bila  aku dewasa kelak

Apakah yang akan kuceritakan

kepada anak-anak

 

Tidak ,aku tidak akan bercerita apa-apa

Bahkan aku mungkin tidak akan menyebut

 perihal masakecilku

Biar menjadi gambar-gambar yang pecah

Setiap pagi adik  menangis

dan mama dengan resah

Menolaknya

ke dukungan pembantu rumah

Yang kerap pula berubah

 

Aku tidak mahu mengenang

Suara ayah yang garang

Menyuruh kami diam

Ketika dia terpaku di hadapan

Rancangan kegemaran

 

Tidak perlu kuingat

Suara bibik yang mengherdik

Menghalau aku dan adik ke bilik

Berjam-jam tidak berani keluar

Sedihnya bila adik menggeletar

‘kakak saya lapar’

Tapi  kami tidak berani meminta

Hanya berdoa mama akan tiba

Namun seperti biasa

Telefon berdering mama di talian

Ada mesyuarat yang berpanjangan

Atau Federal Highway sesak  lagi

Hampir setiap hari

 

Untuk apa  bercerita tentang pagi yang riang

Aku diumumkan penerima hadiah cemerlang

Sungguh lama menunggu mama pulang

Dan sekujur mendengar kereta di halaman

Aku berlarian menghulurkan surat jemputan

Ibu dan ayah memelukku dan memuji

Anak bijak anak kebanggaan.

 

Aku gembira sehingga malamnya

Terdengar  ayah berkata

‘Mama sajalah pergi

 hari itu saya jumpa Menteri.

Bukan senang mendapat temujanji”

Dan mama membalas suaranya keras

“selalu saya sahaja ke sekolah

Selalu saya saja yang mengalah

Menangguh kerja berkorban apa saja

Terjejas prestasi

 tak pernah dihargai”

 

Mereka terus bertengkar

 aku tak sanggup mendengar

kejayaanku tidak membawa kebahagiaan

tetapi satu bebanan.

 

Hari demi hari

Kami tidak sempat bermanja

Dan  akan dewasa

menjadi generasi tanpa nostalgia.

 

 OTHER POEMS. 

OF HISTORY AND POETRY

 

As they have written in history books

Men have built many empires

And fought unending wars

 

The winners ruled  nations

The loosers staged rebellions

 

The winners shall write history

The loosers shall  write poetry.

 (original tittle: Sejarah dan Sajak)

 

SEJARAH DAN SAJAK

 Menyingkap peta dan riwayat

Tamadun demi tamadun terbina

Perang demi perang berulang

 

Yang menang menjadi pemerintah

Yang kalah menjadi pendesak..

 

Yang menang akan menulis sejarah

Yang kalah akan menulis sajak

 

MULTI LEVEL MARKETING

 They turned their family members

And all their neighbours

Into potential customers

 

They turned their neighbourhood

And streets

Into open markets

 

It is not product that they promote

But dreams and hopes

 

MLM they called the enterprise

Where the first level thrive

The middle level survive

And the lowest level victimised.

(original tittle: Tentang MLM)

 

TENTANG MLM

Mereka menukar kaum keluarga

Dan jiran tetangga

Menjadi pasar terbuka

 

Yang dijual bukan barangan

Tapi mimpi dan harapan

 

MLM adalah cara berniaga

Yang di atas menjadi kuasa

Yang di tengah sempat merasa

Yang di bawah adalah mangsa.