Malaysian Literature
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Transcript of Malaysian Literature
TRIVIA!
The name "Malaysia" is a combination of
the word "Malay" and the Latin-Greek
suffix "-sia“.
The word "melayu" in Malay derived from
the Tamil words "malai" and "ur" meaning
"mountain" and "city, land", respectively.
"Malayadvipa" was the word used by
ancient Indian traders when referring to
the Malay Peninsula
Brief History of Malaysia
A busy seaport for European and Far East traders for many hundreds of years.
Starts with the history of Melaka, founded in the 13th century by a Sumatran prince
Became the most influential port city in Southeast Asia
1511
A Portuguese fleet led by Alfonso de Albuquerque sailed into Melaka harbor
He captured the city with canon fire
Brief History of Malaysia
1641
The Dutch captured the city from the Portuguese
They controlled the spice trade
1819
British administration replaced the Dutch and established a trading post in Singapore
Penang and Melaka – “Straits Settlements”
The British Administration lasted 138 years.
The British granted independence to Malaya in 1957 in Kuala Lumpur.
Tunku Abdul Rahman – first prime minister of Malaya
Government
A federal constitutional
monarchy
Currency: Ringgit
Yang di-Pertuan Agong
Current king
Head of state and serves in a ceremonialrole
Najib Tun Razak
The head of government is the primeminister, presently.
Government
Malaysia has a bicameral parliament, witha 70-member Senate and a 222-memberHouse of Representatives. Senators areelected by state legislatures or appointedby the king; members of the House aredirectly elected by the people.
General courts, including the FederalCourt, Court of Appeals, high courts,session courts, etc., hear all types ofcases. A separate division of sharia courtshears cases pertaining only to Muslims.
Did you know?
About two thirds of Malaysia is covered in
forest, with some forests believed to be 130
million years old.
Rafflesia genus, the largest flower in the
world, with a maximum of 3 ft.
Malaysia is
the 42nd
most
populated
country.
Religion
Malaysia has three main religions: Islam, Buddhism,
and Hinduism.
practiced in Malaysia is known as Islam Hadhari,
which encourages an open mind, tolerance,
inclusivity, honesty, and hard work.
THE QUR'AN
the complete book of guidance for mankind
“Whosoever performs good deeds, whether male or female,
and is a believer, we shall surely make him live a good life,
and We will certainly reward them for the best of what they
did."(Qur'an, An-Nahl 16:97)
ISLAMIC PRINCIPLES
Five Pillars of Islam
1. Shahadah: declaring there is no god except Allah,
and Muhammad is God's Messenger
2. Salat: ritual prayer five times a day
3. Zakat: giving 2.5% of one’s savings to the poor and needy
4. Sawm: fasting and self-control during the holy month
of Ramadan
5. Hajj: pilgrimage to Mecca at least once in a lifetime if one is
able
History of Literature
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.
Early Malays literature was influenced by Indian
epics, such as the Mahabharata and the Ramayana.
begins with the coming of Islam in the late 15th
century; no literary works dating from the Hindu
period (4th to late 15th centuries)
have survived
History of Literature
The earliest works of Malaysian literature were
transmitted orally in the absence of writing scripts.
By the 19th century, written literature occurred.
Traditional Malay poetry was used for
entertainment and the recording of history and
laws.
Three Forms of Traditional Malay Poetry
Mantera
sacred message of a text; repeated word or phrase in meditation (e.g “Om”, “Om Namo”)
Pantun
a traditional oral form of expression
consists of a quatrain which employs an abab rhyme scheme
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
Other types:
Seloka – a poem, similar to pantum
Madah – rhyming speech; a discourse through
poetry
Gurindam – poetry that sets to music
Fables in Malaysia:
Kancil (mouse deer)
- serves as the main character in a number of
stories
- regards as the humble animal in the highest
esteem
Famous Writers
Abdullah Abdul Kadir
a Malayan writer of Indian origin
most cultured Malay who ever wrote
one of the greatest innovators in Malay letters
the father of modern Malay literature
He wrote Hikayat Abdullah, an autobiography
Famous Writers
Ee Tiang Hong
was a Malayan poet of Chinese ancestry
wrote poetry in English
His first book of poetry appeared in 1960
Some New Perspectives
Race, language, religion, birthplace —the categories do not satisfy;what do they say of you and me,the space, the silences between?
Not always negative, I ammore or less than your images,the truth is always partly,a few hints here and there.
That's how it is — conceptualsmithereens, in spurtsand starts, a world view,the twentieth century's, ours.
Famous WritersUsman Awang
best poet in the Malay language
did not produce a very large corpus ofpoetry, only about 200 of them
poems are simple, clear, often romantic,and beautiful
a master at weaving words into strikingphrases, sentences and verses that areof exceptional classical beauty andsometimes appear to be nostalgic andeven escapist.
Famous Writers
Huzir Sulaiman
a Malaysian actor, director and writer
based in Singapore
One of Malaysia's leading dramatists
His plays, often charged with dark humor,
political satire, and surrealistic twists, have
won numerous awards and international
recognition
References
http://asianhistory.about.com/od/malaysia/p/malaysia
prof.htm
http://www.wikiz.info/islam/principles/Principles.htm
http://www.missionislam.com/discover/basic.htm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Malaysian_writers
http://www.softblow.org/eetianghong.html
http://www.slideshare.net/MariaVeronicaLeeMakaya
n/malaysia-demographics-and-literature