ON MALAYSIAN LITERATURE

Sunday, September 23, 2018

KHALID SALLEH, OUR BEST ACTOR ,

KHALID SALLEH won the Best Actor Award for the Asia Pacific Film Festival.in 1999 for his role in Johgo directed by U Wei Haji Shaari. Khalid was the second actor after our legendary P.Ramlee to achieve such distinction. He passed away in July 2018. Yesterday we held a poetry and book launching event to commemorate him.

Suatu ketika bila saya menonton arwah Wak Khalid di pentas saya terkesan dengan dialognya yang padat dengan kritik sosial. Tetapi Wak Khalid agak pendiam dan sopan santun bila tidak berlakon. Dari sini terfikirlah saya bahawa Wak Khalid dan seniman2 rakyat sepertinya menggunakan pentas untuk melontarkan segala kekesalan yang terbuku terhadap golongan yang tidak membela rakyat. Di luar pentas mereka lebih diam dan menelan perasaan. Maka terfikirlah bahawa di pentas itulah mereka menjadi diri yang sebenar tetapi di luar pentas itulah mereka terpaksa berlakun. Lalu dalam sajak Pelakon Terbaik Kami saya menulis: "Sebaik turun kami pun berlakon" yang saya terjemahkan sebagai "The acting begins when the p
lay ends"
Andainya saya telah dihubungi untuk menulis tentang arwah sudah tentu saya akan kemukakan sajak ini..
Pelakon Terbaik Kami
Dia terpilih sebagai Pelakon terbaik
Dan kami cukup puas hati
setiap kali dia beraksi.
Antara lain yang paling kukenang
Dia melakonkan watak pawang
Dengan getar suara membaca mantera
Begitu lantang menghalau hantu jembalang
“Hey jin kepala tujuh
Jin bernama Jin khianat
Keluarlah kamu dari jasad rakyat
Anak cucuku sudah lama sakit tenat
Sudah lama melarat
Hey hantu segala hantu
Hantu pembelit hantu penipu
Jangan ganggu anak cucuku
Sehingga mereka lari ketakutan
Ke pinggir pinggir hutan
Tinggallah kamu dan para kroni
Menguasai kota ini.
.
Aku pernah bertanya dia
Sungguh hebat kau berlakon
Semua penonton terpegun
Bagaimana kau menjadi pawang
Bengis dan garang
Menghentak dan menendang
sangat berlainan dari dirimu
Yang sopan dan pendiam
Dia hanya tersenyum menjawab
Seperti biasa kata-katanya cukup terhad
yang kau lihat di pentas itu
Sebenarnya adalah aku
Di luar pentas aku adalah pelakon.
Yang menelan kemarahan
Menjadi sopan santun
Kerana di luar pentas
lebih ramai penonton

Di pentas aku bebas beraksi
Sebagai diri sendiri
Sebaik turun
Aku pun mula berlakon.

Cerita dalam Cerita, ITBM, 2014
Our Best Actor
He won the Best Actor award
We did not question
As he was excellent
I remember he played so well
The role of a medicine man
His coarse angry voice trembled
chanting sermons
to drive away evil spirits and demons
“Hey, you seven-headed devils
Your name is treachery
Your name is corruption
Get out of the body and soul
Of my people
Whose life you had strangled
you plagued and tortured my grandchildren
that they ran into the jungle frightened
leaving you and your cronies
free to own the cities.”
Once I asked him
Your acting was marvellous
The audience was stunned
You rampaged the stage in rage
Shouting and kicking
This is different
From you that we know as a person
Gentle and soft spoken
He smiled and answered
As usual his words were limited
What you see on the stage was the real me
Screaming at the people in power
Off the stage I became an actor
swallowing my anger
and forced to remain silent
watched by the larger audience
On stage I am the real man
Who need not pretend
the acting begins.
when the play ends.

Tuesday, September 11, 2018

MODERN MALAYSIAN LITERATURE: THE EARLY DAYS

zurinahhassan 4:54 PM 0 Comments

Malaysian literature was brought about and developed as an impact of printing press. Literary works such as novels, short stories and poems were being printed and published in great numbers and as such no longer restricted to the courts/palaces or to the rich . The government contributed in this development by setting up reading centres where printed books, newspapers and journals were shared widely in the community.

besides the printed books, literature in the middle of the 19th century appeared in special columns in the newspapers. syair and pantuns were popular . translated news and features, printed mass media took over some of the functions of the traditional tellers of tales.
there were special space for short story, ushering of literary modernism in the first decades of 20th century 1920-1930s. Attracted young talents who later grow to be important writers and novelists,

earliest novel entittled hikayat panglima nikosa by ahmad shwal. one of eraliest tale about northwest borneo, first published in 1876.

The Dawn of Modern Malay Literature.

Abdullah munsyi came into the print age and wrote his work with idea that they were to be printed. His work were among the first to be published in Malaya and Singapore syair kampung gelam terbakar syair of the burning of gelam village 1847, hikayat pelayaran ke juddah, syair of the journey to jeddah 1820 and syair singapura terbakar. 1830. In 1838 Abdullah Abdul Kadir Munsyi published Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan. The book is considered as the first Malay travelogue.

In 1849 Abdullah Abdul Kadir Munsyi published a first memoir in Malay literature entitled Hikayat Abdullah, This,together with his travelogue Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah, and some other tittles, carry clear authorship. They mostly contained his observations and descriptions of contemporary everyday events and happenings during his time, and much of his opinions and social critiques. He spoke freely of what he considered as the injustices and immoralities of the rulers and royalties under whose rules the people (rakyat) were deprived of proper education.

Both of the books and several other tittles did away with realm of superhuman princes and princesses. For this individualism and realism, Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir Munsyi (1796-1854) is considered as forerunner of modern Malay literature. The dawn of modern Malay literature is said to begin with him.

However, Abdullah did not have immediate followers. Development of modern Malay literature was marked years later.

1913- The birth of modern Malay poetry, known as sajak with the publication `Angan-angan Dengan Gurindam` by Omar Mustaffa.

1925- The birth of novel in Malaya when the first Malay novel Faridah Hanom, by Syed Sheikh Al Hadi was published. Although the novel was an adaptation of Egyptian work, it discussed social problems relevant to Malay society .

1925- The emergence of short stories mostly in newspapers and magazines. Newspapers regarded as important in the development of Malay short stories. Most short stories discussed local issues especially in exhorting the Malays to work towards progress and gain their rightful place in the advance of other races. Among famous writer was Abdul Rahim Kajai who was named “Father of Malay Short Stories”.

1929- Ahmad Rashid Talu published his novel Kawan Benar. This novel had been accepted as the first original Malay novel with local Malay characters and Malay social background.

1930- The appearance of the first Malay women magazine, Bulan Melayu, under the leadership of Ibu Zain. The first issue was in June 1930. The magazines contributed much to the awareness of the importance of education for women.

1934- the publication of a short story by a woman writer, Hafsah, entitled Kesedihan Perkahwinan Paksa (The Misery of Forced Marriage) in a magazine, Pengasuh.

Later in the same year, a fiction entitled Waktu Isyak Menangkap Pencuri written by Siti Nurmah, was published.

1934, THE new form of poetry gained importance through the publications in Majalah Guru. A regular periodical of Sultan Idris Training Cillege in Tanjung Malim (SITC). SITC is noted for its contributions in the development of Malay literature. Mohd Yasin Makmor (Punggok) has been name as a pioneer in Malay poetry.

1941- Novels written by women writers began to surface, after about 15 years after the first novel written by a man writer. The novels are Panggilan Ibunda (1948) by Kamariah Saadon and Cincin Kahwin (Wedding Ring, 1948), by Jahlelawati

1950. The most significant event in the growth of Malay literature took place in Singapore, with the formation of ANGKATAN SASTERAWAN 50 or ASAS 50 on 6 August. This Writers’ Movement thrived as the oldest Malay literary association and is still going on in Singapore today. It represented the voice of the Malay community with its slogan Seni untuk Masyarakat or Arts for Society. Pioneers and leaders were well known writers and journalists Muhammad Ariff Ahmad, Kamaluddin Muhammad, Masuri S.N.

POEMS BY MALAYSIAN LAUREATE

zurinahhassan 1:23 AM 0 Comments

Frente al Puerto

Cómo me molesta

cada vez que veo las luces del puerto

son las luces de nuestras fronteras

que nos recuerdan que nadie puede vivir sin un nombre

ni lealtad a un país.

Pero nadie puede escoger su nombre

ni el país en el que ha de nacer.

Translated into Spanish byPatricia Vazquez Marin

(Frente a Puerto/ Menghadap ke Pelabuhan: 2)

En Busca de Espacio

Repentinamente él se levantó y apagó la luz

diciendo " Esta habitación es más grande en la oscuridad

ya que no podemos ver los muros".

Yo encendí otra vez la luz

diciendo "Esta luz es verdaderamente el espacio

y más frecuentemente estamos aprisionados

por los muros no podemos ver".

Translated into Spanish by Patricia Vazquez Marin

(Frente a Puerto/ Menghadap ke Pelabuhan: 92)

Frente a Puerto/ Menghadap ke Pelabuhan:, ITBM (Institute of Translation and Book, Malaysia 2012):

The Poet : ZURINAH HASSAN

Zurinah Hassan is the first Malaysian female writer to be conferred The title of National Laureate. She received the South East Asian Write Award in 2004.

Monday, September 10, 2018

WILL ANWAR IBRAHIM BE MALAYSIA 8TH PRIME MINISTER?

zurinahhassan 7:05 AM 0 Comments

The whole country is talking about Anwar Ibrahim,

Breaking news: He is contesting a by election in the Port Dickson parliamentary constituency. This by election is to facilitate his taking over premiership from Tun Mahathir. After all Pakatan Harapan had made it clear that Anwar is the prime minister in waiting. Anwar is currently the president of Parti KeAdilan Rakyat and the leader of Pakatan Harapan the parti ruling Malaysia after winning 14th General Election.

The constituency’s current Member of Parliament, Datuk Danyal Balagopal Abdullah, has vacated his seat, to make way for this by-election.

But we still dont know what will happen? Some observers fear the by-election could cause instability within the Pakatan Harapan government, which is still finding its feet following five decades of rule by the Barisan Nasional coalition it toppled.

Thursday, September 6, 2018

POEMS FROM MALAYSIA BY NATIONAL LAUREATE ZURINAH HASSAN

zurinahhassan 6:54 PM 0 Comments

This is a translation of my poem into Spanish. The original tittle is "Semut" . The same poem has been translated into English, French, Russian and Japanese. What inspired me about the ants?

1- They have no voice and no language but they communicate well with one another. This remind us of the wonders of God's creation.

2- Whenever one of them found food, it will transmit signal to others. Do we human do the same if we find anything good?. Most probably we will keep to ourselves.

3- Animals can talk to each other but they can only tell the truth. They cannot lie. This is different from us humans.

LAS HORMIGUITAS

Derramo un poco de miel sobre el suelo

Unas cuantas hormingas llegan

Unos minutos despues

Mas hormigas se aglutinan

Y en cuestion de segundos

Cientos de hormigas

Caminan en una linea

Observo y me pregunto como

Sin voz y sin sonido

Retinene a sus amigos

Siempre que encuentran comida

He leido de este hecho

Que los animales se communican

Observe y me deje llevar

Hasta que eccuche lo que uno hormiga tenia que decir

“No olvides que solo somos animales.

Nos comunicamos al pasar

Pero no podemos decir mentiras

No somos sofisticadas como los hombres

Ellos son la unica creacion de Dios

Bendicidos con la habilidad

De crear declaraciones inexactas

Y difundir historias falsas”

THE LITTLE ANTS

I drop a little honey on the ground

A few ants came around

A few minutes later

More ants gather

And in no time

Hundreds of ants

Are walking in a line

I watched and wondered how

Without voice and without sound

They gather their friends around

Whenever food is found

This fact I have read

Thet animals communicate

I watched and was carried away

Until I heard what an ant has to say

“Don’t forget we are just animals

We communicate as we pass by

But we cannot tell a lie

We are not sophisticated like men

They are the only God’s creation

with the ability

To make up untrue statements

And spread false stories.

Frente al Puerto (Menghadap ke Pelabuhan )published by Institute of Translation and Books, Malaysia, 2012.

THE JAPANESE TRANSLATION BELOW.

The cover of French version . En Regardant la Port published by L Harmattan Paris and itbm Malaysia 2015.