Mohamed Latiff Mohamed

Last updated

Mohamed Latiff Mohamed (born 20 March 1950) is a Singaporean Malay poet and writer.

Contents

Mohamed Latiff Mohamed
Born (1950-03-20) March 20, 1950 (age 70)
OccupationPoet, writer
LanguageMalay
Spanish
NationalitySingapore

Biography

Mohamed Latiff Mohamed was born in Singapore on 20 March 1950. He was educated at Guillemard Malay School, followed by Tun Seri Lanang Secondary School and Kaki Bukit Secondary School. [1] He first started writing at the age of 16, and his poem Kepincangan (“Handicaps”) was published in the school magazine. [2] He also published his first short story Ani cintamu masih usang (“Ani, your love is still outdated”) in the entertainment magazine Bintang dan lagu. [2] After his secondary education, Mohamed Latiff studied at the Teachers Training College and taught at several primary and secondary schools before moving to Curriculum Development Institute of Singapore (CDIS) to design course materials for the Malay-language secondary curriculum. [2] He retired in 1999 to focus on writing full-time. [2]

Mohamed Latiff is married to Jamaliah Mohamed Noor. They have two sons, Khairil and Haikel. [2] His elder son is based in Melbourne and he has one granddaughter. [3]

Literary career

Mohamed Latiff notes that "[o]ne should not simply write about 'beautiful' things, but should seek to correct the wrongs that one sees in society." [4] His poems tackle the social issues facing the Malay community in Singapore and he strongly believes in the power of literature to combat against racial discrimination in Singapore. [5] This has led to friend and fellow Malay writer S.N. Masuri calling Mohamed Latiff a "poet of protest" and "an angry young man." [2] His poetry collection Segumpal api selingkar pelangi: puisi-puisi pilihan 1967–1977 (translated as A Crackle of Flames. A Circle of Rainbows: Selected Poems 1967-1977) features gruesome imagery such as blood and pus to convey the harsh realities of discrimination and mistreatment of the poor, especially the Malay community. [2] In spite of his work attempting to highlight the oppression of the Malay community, he is also critical of the community's pace of progress in keeping up with globalisation. [1]

Mohamed Latiff is also the author of nine novels and short story collections, including Batas Langit (1996) and Ziarah Cinta (1998) which have been translated into English as Confrontation (2013) and The Widower (2015) respectively. His novels depict the struggles of the Malay community in post-independence Singapore. [3] His novel Dalam keasingan, which used symbolic characters and a style that was more akin to poetry, was adapted into a stage play by Teater Ekamatra in 1990. [2] His short story collection Nostalgia yang hilang: cerpen-cerpen pilihan 1982–2002 (2004) was recently translated into English by Nazry Bahrawi.

Mohamed Latiff is an active and longstanding member of Angkatan Sasterawan '50 (Asas '50) where he helps to develop Malay literature and culture, protect the rights of its members while introducing innovations in literature. [1] He was awarded the Anugerah Munsyi Abdullah award for his contributions to creative writing. [1]

Mohamed Latiff is a three-time Singapore Literature Prize winner, winning twice for poetry (2004 and 2008) and once for a short story collection (2006). [2] He received the Cultural Medallion in 2013 for his contributions to Singaporean Malay literature.

Works

Poetry

Fiction

Awards

Related Research Articles

Said Zahari

Said Zahari was a former Singaporean editor-in-chief of the Malay language newspaper Utusan Melayu, and an advocate of unbiased freedom of the press. Although he resided in Malaysia with his family, he insisted on retaining his Singapore citizenship.

The literature of Singapore comprises a collection of literary works by Singaporeans. It is written chiefly in the country's four official languages: English, Malay, Standard Mandarin and Tamil.

National Library, Singapore Singapores national public library

The National Library, Singapore is the flagship national library of Singapore. A subsidiary of the National Library Board (NLB), it is located on an 11,304–square metre site in Victoria Street within the Downtown Core. It is the country's largest public library.

The Singapore Literature Prize is a biennial award in Singapore to recognise outstanding published works by Singaporean authors in any of the four official languages: Chinese, English, Malay and Tamil. The competition is organised by the National Book Development Council of Singapore (NBDCS) with the support of the National Arts Council and the National Library Board.

Ahmadun Yosi Herfanda, is an Indonesian journalist and poet. His name is also written as Ahmadun YH, Ahmadun Y. Herfanda, Ahmadun Herfanda, or AYH (ayeha). Ahmadun's poetry focuses on social and religious themes and is informed by Sufism. He is a reporter and arts editor at the daily newspaper Republika. Now he is known as a famous Indonesian poet and writer.

Indonesian literature

Indonesian literature is a term grouping various genres of South-East Asian literature.

This article lists important figures and events in Malayan public affairs during the year 1954, as well as births and deaths of significant Malayans.

The Writers' Movement '50, better known as Asas '50, is the first and oldest literary association in post-war Malaysia. It was founded on 6 August 1950, with a stated philosophy of "Art for Society".

Muhammad Jailani Abu Talib

Muhammad Jailani Abu Talib is a poet and writer.

Khadijah Hashim is a Malaysian writer, teacher and journalist. She has worked as a teacher and also as a journalist with local newspapers Utusan Melayu (1974–1976) and Berita Harian (1976–1985). She is better known as a novelist, and has produced 19 novels. She also expanded her creativity in the field of short stories, radio drama scripts, children's books, rhymes and poetry. The children's rhyme book "Sayang Sayang" has been selected to be on Honour List of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in Basel, Switzerland (2002) and "Semerbak Poetry" in Macau, China (2006). Khadijah continues her interests in writing rhymes, which led to her latest creation of "Putera-puteri Malaysia".

Dr. Ahmad Mattar, whose full name is Ahmad bin Mohamed Mattar, is a former Singaporean politician and member of the Cabinet.

Dover Court International School Independent school in Singapore

Dover Court International School is an international school in Singapore. Founded in 1972, the school delivers the English National Curriculum and International Baccalaureate Diploma Program to 1650 students between the ages of 3 and 18. Over 60 nationalities are represented in the school, with the majority of teachers coming from the United Kingdom. In 2015, Dover Court International School registered with the Committee for Private Education of Singapore and since April 2014 has been part of the Nord Anglia Education group of schools.

Ahmad Kamal Abdullah

Ahmad Kamal Abdullah is a Malaysian poet, novelist, playwright, literary critic writing in Malay. He is known under the pseudonym Kemala. He is a Malaysian National Laureate.

Raja Rajeswari Setha Raman

Raja Rajeswari Setha Raman is a Malaysian poet and translator. Tamil by ethnicity. She is also a lecturer of the Teacher Education Institute, Malay Language Campus.

Alkaff Gardens

Alkaff Gardens was a Japanese-style park once located east of the Bidadari Cemetery from 1930 to 1964, on the present site of Cedar Girls' Secondary School at Bidadari, Singapore. In the 1930s, the park was a popular leisure destination for dating couples and families. It featured as its centrepiece an artificial lake, which was drained in 1964.

Liew Yuen Sien was a Chinese-born Singaporean educator. She served from 1927 to 1966 as principal of Nanyang Girls' High School (NYGH), a premier all-girls school in Singapore, the longest-serving principal at NYGH. An active proponent of improving the quality of Chinese education and women's education across Southeast Asia and China, she was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 1958 and the Singaporean Presidential Medal in 1967.

Bidadari Park Park in Bidadari, Singapore

The Bidadari Park is a wooded park located at Bidadari, bounded by Bidadari Park Drive and Upper Aljunied Road, in Singapore.

Dr. Mohamed Ghazali bin Abdul Rashid or better known by his pen name Malim Ghozali PK was a Malaysian writer and laureatte from Perak. He was crowned as the Sasterawan Perak in 2014. He authored a variety of literary works such as novels and short stories. He also received numerous awards including the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 2013.

Ahmad bin Mohamed Magad is a former Singaporean politician. A member of the ruling People's Action Party, Ahmad was involved in politics for 14 years before retiring in 2011.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Browse | Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". Archived from the original on 2018-12-01. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Singapore, National Library Board. "Mohamed Latiff Mohamed | Infopedia". eresources.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  3. 1 2 "Singapore is still my home". AsiaOne. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  4. ↑ Handal, Nathalie. "The City and the Writer: In Singapore with Mohamed Latiff Mohamed - Words Without Borders". Words Without Borders. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  5. ↑ "Browse | Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". Archived from the original on 2018-12-05. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  6. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Danau sukma : sajak-sajak pilihan 1983-1987 / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  7. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Bagiku sepilah sudah : kumpulan puisi-puisi pilihan 1990-2002 / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  8. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Bila rama-rama patah sayapnya : puisi pilihan 2002-2006 / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  9. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Bangsaku di hari lahirku / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed ; editor, Mohamed Pitchay Gani Bin Mohamed Abdul Aziz, Yazid Bin Hussein, Muhammad Irwan Bin Jamal". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  10. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Dalam keasingan / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  11. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Batas langit / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  12. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Ziarah cinta / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  13. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Nostalgia yang hilang : cerpen-cerpen pilihan 1982-2002 / Mohamed Latif Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
  14. ↑ Singapore, National Library Board. "Ziarah rindu / Mohamed Latiff Mohamed". eservice.nlb.gov.sg. Retrieved 2018-12-01.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.