The History Of Malaysian Literature
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Malay Ghost Myths
The Malay word for ghost is hantu. However, this word also covers all sorts of demons, goblins and undead creatures and are thought to have real physical bodies, instead of just apparitions or spectres.
Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir
1796MalaccaDied 1854 (aged 57–58)Jeddah, Ottoman Empire
Occupation Author, translator and teacher
Period 19th century
Genres Non-fiction
Subjects Early Malay history
The kancil or mouse-deer serves as the main character in a number of the stories. The Malays regard this humble animal in the highest esteem due to its ability to overcome obstacles and defeat adversaries despite of its rather small and benign appearance.
By the 19th century, oral literature on the Malay peninsula was superseded by written literature.
Huzir Sulaiman
Malaysian actor, director and writer.
One of Malaysia's leading dramatists, acclaimedfor his vibrant, inventive use of language and incisive insight into human behavior in general and the Asian psyche in particular.
Malaysian Writers and Poets
Fables in MalaysiaAnimal fables are often used to explain certain natural phenomena. Other times, they are simple moral tales. In almost all instances, the animals in these stories possess the ability to speak, reason and think like humans, similar to Aesop's Fables.
The oral traditions of Sabah encompass folk tales and legends, such as creation myths, that have been preserved by the ethnic groups in the state.
Usman Awang
12 July 1929, Kuala Sedili, Johor
was a Malaysian poet, playwright and novelist.
Early Malay literature was influenced by Indian epics, such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana, which later included other traditions.
Different ethnic groups have different versions of the same story, although there are several recurring themes and elements in every tale.
Malaysian literature is the collection of literary works produced in the Malay peninsula until 1963 and in Malaysia thereafter.
Malaysian literature is typically written in any of the country's four main languages:
Malay, English, Chinese and Tamil. It portrays various aspects of Malaysian life and comprises an important part of the culture of Malaysia.
He is best known for his works "Atomic Jaya", "The Smell of Language", "Hip-Hopera" the Musical, "Notes on Life and Love and Painting", "Election Day", "Those Four Sisters Fernandez", "Occupation" and "Whatever That Is" which have been published in his collection of "Eight Plays" by Silverfish Books. He also contributes articles to the The Star (Malaysia).
His most important works are the Hikayat Abdullah (an autobiography),
Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Kelantan (an account of his trip for the government to Kelantan),
and Kisah Pelayaran Abdullah ke Mekah (a narrative of his pilgrimage to Mecca 1854).
His work was an inspiration to future generations of writers and marks an early stage in the transition from the classical Malay literature to modern Malay literature.
The earliest works of Malaysian literature were transmitted orally in the absence of writing scripts.
Oral literature encompasses a variety of genres of Malay folklore, such as
myths, legends, folk tales, romances, epics, poetry, proverbs, origin stories and oral histories
Other types of Malaysian Poetry
Seloka - a poem, similar to pantun
Madah - a kind of rhyming speech, a discourse through poetry
Gurindam - poetry, set to music
SYAIR It is a form of traditional Malay poetry that made up of four-line stanzas or quatrains. The syair can be a narrative poem, a didactic poem, or a poem used to convey ideas on religion or philosophy, or even one to describe historical event.
Pantun is consists of a quatrain which employs an abab rhyme scheme. A pantun is traditionally recited according to a fixed rhythm and as a rule of thumb, in order not to deviate from the rhythm, every line should contain between eight and 12 syllables.
Example:Tanam selasih di tengah padang,
Sudah bertangkai diurung semut,
Kita kasih orang tak sayang,
Halai-balai tempurung hanyut.
Much of his poems are simple, clear, oftentimes romantic, and just beautiful. He is a master at weaving words into striking phrases, sentences and verses that are of exceptional classical beauty and sometimes appear to be nostalgic and even escapist.
Traditional Malay poetry was used for entertainment and the recording of history and laws.There are three forms of traditional Malay poetry:
1. Mantera 2. Pantun 3. Syair
Mantra is usually any repeated word or phrase, but it can also refer more specifically to a word repeated in meditation. Mantracomes from a Sanskrit word meaning a “sacred message or text”.
OMThe King of mantras of a single syllable is 'Om'. It is the sound of infinity and immortality, containing within it all the scriptures of the world.