Abstract
Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir or Abdullah Munshi is a respected figure who is often associated with his standing as the Father of Modern Malay Literature as compared to Hamzah Fansuri. He has become one of Hadijah Rahmat’s focal point in her works; whether in her academic research or in creative works. Among others, this paper focused on the standing of Abdullah Munshi which explains her leaning towards him. This is gleaned through her academic works, for example on what she has deduced from Antara Dua Kota ( Between Two Cities: Tracing the works of Munsyi Abdullah in and Singapore , In search of Modernity A Study of Concepts of Literature , Authorship and Notions of Self in Traditional Malay Literature or Mengukir Air di Pesisir Sastera Melayu/ Indonesia dalam Arus Jagat . The same applies in the poetry collection Di Tengah Alam ( At the Center of Nature ), the drama Munsyi or Kurnia Alam ( Gift of Nature ) that was crafted by Hadijah Rahmat; the personality of Abdullah Munshi which she attempted to discover. This paper shows the link between the two figures in representing among others the continuity of relationship between Malay literature in Malaysia and Singapore. Keywords: Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, Abdullah Munshi, Hadijah Rahmat, Malay Literature, Malaysian Literature, Singaporean Literature
Highlights
One of the objectives of this article is to perceive the continuity of Malay literature in Malaysia and Singapore
Her work “In Search of Modernity: A Study of Concepts of Literature, Authorship and Notions of Self in Traditional of Malay Literature” (2001), her dissertation for her Doctorate at the School of Oriental and African Studies, London University. Her other works Sastera dan Manusia Melayu Baru: Kumpulan Esei dan Wawancara (Literature and the New Malay: Collection of Essays and Discourses) (1998c) and Kilat Senja: Sejarah Sosial dan Budaya Kampung-kampung di Singapura (The twilight Lightning; Social and Cultural history of Singapore Villages) (2005a). Her poetry writing has been prolific with her first collection in Di Tengah Alam (In the Midst of the Universe) (1998a) followed by her second collection which has the nuance of a sequel entitled Kurnia Alam (The gift of the Universe) (2013)
This paper expounds the special efforts of Hadijah Rahmat in highlighting the personae of Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir in her academic and creative works
Summary
In the book In Search of Modernity: A Study of Concepts of Literature, Authorship and Notions of Self in Traditional of Malay Literature (2001), by Hadijah Rahmat one chapter, namely chapter eight of Hikayat Abdullah concentrates on him This personality is being compared to other personalities with their own texts such as Hamzah Fansuri (Asrarul Arifin, Sharabul-Ashiqin dan al-Muntahi), Lauddin (Hikayat Nakhoda Muda), Ahmad Rijaluddin (Hikayat Perintah Negeri Benggala), Fakih Saghir (Surat Keterangan Syeikh Jalaluddin), Raja Ali Haji (Tuhfat al Nafis) dan Mohamed Salleh Perang (Tarikh Datuk Bentara Luar Johor). Hadijah Rahmat was the fifth scholar that presented lectures at three countries namely Malaysia (18 October 2001), Indonesia (23 October 2001) and Brunei Darussalam (27 October 2001) This segment clearly presents a comparison between Abdullah and the reknown Malay writers mentioned before, especially with his rival, Hamzah Fansuri; there are three concepts used namely the literature concept, the authorship concept and the notion of self concept. The writers do not place much attention to national issues that are connected to or affect the life of their society with that of the other societies in this country
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