Abstract
This is a study on Muhammad Yusof Ahmad, a pioneer in modern Malay fiction. To explore his contributions, this study focuses on his creative process, specifically in his writing of formal realism fictions such as his short stories and novelette. This study is approached via the writer’s biography and linking it to his era, and the systems of traditional and western education which shaped his creative abilities. His main works entitled “Percintaan Lady Brazil”, “Zaman Sari” and Mencari Isteri were selected as samples for analysis. This study reveals that Muhammad Yusof’s creativity is based on his own experiences in life. The structure of his stories can be traced back to the traditional literature of his culture, and elements of realism made their way in to his plot structure due to his exposure to western literature. His works were targeted at new generations, significantly Malay teachers. His works were early attempts of formal realism in the world of modern Malay literature. Keywords : Muhammad Yusof Ahmad, Malay literature, Malay fiction, Majalah Guru
Highlights
The works of Muhammad Yusof Ahmad not been given due attention in terms of the study of modern Malay literature unlike the broad attention that has been given to his contemporaries such as Syed Sheikh al-Hadi, Za‘ba, Ahmad Kotot, Ahmad Rashid Talu, and Muhamad Yasin Ma’mor or Pungguk as well as Ishak Haji Muhammad
It was his supervision and leadership of Majalah Guru that gave rise to the introduction and development of various modern genres in modern Malay literature such as short stories, serial stories, novelette, and poetries. These genres have proven to be dominant until today. His name gained recognition in a rather unrelated study when Ali bin Ahmad (Ali) conducted a study on Majalah Guru for his doctoral research focussing on its publications between the years 1924–1932, and the role played by Muhammad Yusof in the mid-30s
Muhammad Yusof could be considered as a bird named “jentayu” wandering lonely in its surrounding because during his time he explored his creativity by himself
Summary
The works of Muhammad Yusof Ahmad not been given due attention in terms of the study of modern Malay literature unlike the broad attention that has been given to his contemporaries such as Syed Sheikh al-Hadi, Za‘ba, Ahmad Kotot, Ahmad Rashid Talu, and Muhamad Yasin Ma’mor or Pungguk as well as Ishak Haji Muhammad. This essay is an attempt to focus and highlight Muhammad Yusof Ahmad as a pioneer in the development of Modern Malay fiction through the study of his selected works, namely “Percintaan Lady Brazil (Lady Brazil’s Love Story), “Zaman Sari” (This Decade), and Mencari Isteri (Finding a Wife). According to Muhammad Yusof, the story of PLB was similar to his own personal life experience as a young man.
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