Usman Awang
Usman Awang (12 July 1929, Kuala Sedili, Johore – 29 November 2001, Kuala Lumpur) was a Malaysian poet, playwright and novelist. Malaysian National Laureate (1983). He was born into a penniless family in Johore, and had worked as a coolie and served as a policeman when he was young. He was good at writing traditional Pantun poems. His career began in 1946, and he was a nucleus member of Angkatan Asas 50.[1]
The prominent Malaysian critic Syed Husin Ali, one of his closest friends, wrote this about him: "Usman is popularly considered, and most justifiably too, as perhaps the best poet in the Malay language. Most important, he is accepted without question as a people’s poet. Writing since 1955, Usman did not produce a very large corpus of poetry, only about 200 of them. But the man, his personality, his poetry and his ideas have a much deeper and wider influence than that number would suggest. Much of his poems are simple, clear, often romantic, and just beautiful. He is a master at weaving words into striking phrases, sentences and verses that are of exceptional classical beauty and sometimes appear to be nostalgic and even escapist."[2]
References
- ↑ Syed Husin Ali. "Asas 50 dan cita-cita kemasyarakatannya" – Bengkel Asas 50 dan Sastera Melayu Moden (22–23 Aug 1980). Kuala Lumpur: DBP, 1980
- ↑ http://nursamad.blogspot.com/2007/07/in-memory-usman-awang-july-12-1929-nov.html
Bibliography
- Pogadaev, Victor. “Bapa Sastera Melayu Moden” (The Father of Modern Malay Literature). – “Berita Hrian”, 5 December 2001.
- Pogadaev, Victor. “‘Dari Bintang ke Bintang’ papar kekuatan puisi Usman” ("From One Star To Another" Shows the High Level of Usman' Poetry). – ”Berita Harian”, 16 March 2002.
- Zurinah Hassan, Sasterawan negara Usman Awang (National Laureate Usman Awang). Kuala Lumpur:Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2006. ISBN 978-983-62-9164-6
- Muhammad Haji Salleh. Seorang Penyair, Sebuah Benua Rusuh: Biografi Usman Awang (A Poet and Revolting Continent: Usman Awang' Biography). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2006. ISBN 983-62-8759-0, ISBN 978-983-62-8759-5
- Usman Awang: Penghubung Sastera Moden Dengan Akar Tradisi (Usman Awang: A Linc Between Modern and Traditional Literature). Editor, Hamzah Hamdani. Johore Baru: Yayasan Warisan Johor, 2003. ISBN 983-2440-04-1, ISBN 978-983-2440-04-8
- Halilah Haji Khalid. Usman Awang Dalam Esei dan Kritikan (Usman Awang in Essays and Ctitics). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2004.
External links
|