CREATIVE EXPERIECE OF A WOMAN AND A NATIONAL LAUREATE.

Anyone looking for informations on women writers in Malaysian literature can refer to A JOURNEY THROUGH PROSE AND POETRY by Zurinah Hassan, Malaysian 13th national laureate and the first female writer to be conferred the award.  The book is co published by Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka and International Islamic University Press 2018.The.

This book originates from the writer"s talk on  “Women Writers in Malaysia: The Road I Have Taken” delivered at a seminar organized by the Institute of Thai Studies, Chulalongkorn University, in Bangkok on 9 September 2013. The seminar, The Emergence and Heritage of Asian Women Intellectuals examined the role of women in development of a nation and society. It facilitated discussion on the challenges faced by aspiring women due to gender inequality. The writer  was called to talk on her experience as a woman writerand the problems she has to face amidst the cultural background in which she  grew up.

 

The paper started with an account of the development of women writers in Malaysia written by Dr. Norhayati Ab Rahman from the Academy of Malay Studies, University of Malaya, before the writer focused on he involvement in Malaysian literature.

 

The book is divided into two sections. The first part is  an account of the writer”s personal involvement in writing, how she began,  and the struggle that followed. The long and winding road taken manifested the hardship that a woman in Malaysia has to overcome, to pursue her aspiration of becoming a writer or to create a name for herself amidst the social and cultural situations. According to the writer, what sparked off writing was the suppressed feeling of being silenced by norms and upbringing, the warning that a girl should not speak or exert her voice. When there was so much to say, the only way out was to write them down.

 

She  talked about issues in poems and short stories, exposing creative processes of some selected works that have been highlighted. The issues in the writings are also common in the literary works of other contemporary Malaysian writers.

 

The second part of the book contained examples of her poems and short stories.

 

The book give an insight, especially to foreigh students on Malaysian literature scene.