Writers from Malaysia

Zakaria ARIFFIN (born in Kuantan, 1952) is research officer and language planning officer at the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka literary organization of Malaysia. He also teaches scriptwriting and drama part time at the National Art Academy in Kuala Lumpur and is a freelance writer/director for theatre and television. He is the author of ten plays, among them The Opera House (1988), which received multiple national awards; books for children and young adults; twenty scripts for documentary video, and eighty essays, works of criticism and reviews, including co-authorship of A History of Modern Malay Literature, vol. 2 (1992), Introduction to Malay Traditional Arts (1992); he edited Modern ASEAN Plays: Malaysia (1994). He holds the BA (hons.) from the Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang. The Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka Malaysia is his sponsor.

Eddin Bu-Eng KHOO has been deeply involved in preserving the heritage of Malay culture, particularly through his writing. As a journalist with "The Star," Malaysia's largest circulation English newspaper, Mr. Khoo has written many articles about the arts and traditions of Malaysia. Currently, Mr. Khoo is working to establish a publishing firm that would translate literary works into Malay in the next two years he will publish five new books of his own--works of translation, criticism, and original poetry.

Khalid JAAFAR is a well-known figure in Malay political and literary circles. Working closely for several years with former Deputy Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim, Mr. Jaafar saw his political reputation tarnished when Anwar was jailed on politically motivated charges in 1999. As the Executive Director at the Institute for Policy Research in Kuala Lumpur, he nonetheless continues to work for expanded civil rights and social causes in his homeland. In 2003 he published Tumit Achilles ("Achilles' Heel"), and contributes regularly to Malaysian and international periodicals and journals. He is participating courtesy of the Department of State.

Al-Mustaqeem M. RADHI has translated four volumes of non-fiction from English and Arabic into Malay, and in 2006 edited the treatise ‘Islam and Pluralism.’ An accomplished editor, he has managed political and economic journals at the Open Dialogue Center and the Institute for Policy Research. Currently, he is Executive Director of the Middle Eastern Graduate Centre in Kuala Lumpur. He participates courtesy of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

Bernice CHAULY (poet, nonfiction and fiction writer, playwright, filmmaker; Malaysia) is the author of the poetry collections going there and coming back (1997), The Book of Sins (2008), and Onkalo (2013), the short-fiction book Lost in KL (2008) and the memoir Growing Up With Ghosts (2011), winner of the 2012 Reader's Choice Awards for non-fiction. Her award-winning films have screened at international film festivals. Chauly is a co-founder of Rhino Press and of Malaysia’s longest-running literary platform Readings, and the curator of the George Town Literary Festival; she teaches creative writing at Taylor’s University. Her participation is made possible by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.