Альманах «Очки для ищущих знания» и его место в малайской книжной культуре нового времени

Abstract

The development of printing in the region of insular Southeast Asia dates back to the 17th century and is connected, first of all, with the activities of European missionaries, for whom preaching Christianity was inseparable from the struggle for the literacy of the population. This prompted the need not only for spiritual literature, but also for the books of a broader educational profile. One of such editions was the annual Glasses for All who Seek Knowledge, published in Singapore in 1858–1859. Its content testified to the successes of European science and technology, and various stories about Muslims who saw the world and became convinced of the merits of European civilization served as an indirect argument in favor of Christianity. The content of the annual reveals a certain parallel with the genre of framed story, familiar to Malay people. The main feature of this genre, traditional for the East, is its cyclical structure where a single plot frames a sequence of instructive stories, historical examples, and sayings of worldly wisdom. Apparently, this similarity led to the success of the annual and its reprints in subsequent years.