Languages and Literature /Contents

Post-Independence Malay novels

Ungku Maimunah Mohd Tahir

Independence served as a catalyst for important changes in the Malay novel. The widening of the literary horizon, promotion of novel writing through competitions, the increased economic viability of novel publication, and a marked increase in the number of novelists, served to entrench the position of the novel in the Malay literary world. Recording the spirit of the age with a range of thematic preoccupations and varied perspectives, modern Malay novels make up a respected genre, and give an insight into a Malay tradition of storytelling.

  • Information in the full article includes
  • Growth from seeds of disillusionment
  • Modern Malay values
Salina

A. Samad Said's landmark novel Salina tells of a backstreet prostitute in Singapore who befriends and supports a young man.