Usman Awang

Wan Osman Wan Awang, also known by his pen name Usman Awang (, 12 July 1929 – 29 November 2001) was a Malaysian poet, playwright, novelist and Malaysian National Laureate (1983).

Biography

Wan Osman was born into a poor peasant family in Johor. He graduated from the 6th grade of his local Malay school. During the Japanese occupation, he was kidnapped by Japanese soldiers to Singapore to do forced labour there. After the war, he joined the police force and served in Johore and Malacca between the years of 1946 to 1951.

In 1951, he moved to Singapore, where he initially worked as a proofreader and then as a reporter for the newspaper ''Melayu Raya''. He later joined the weekly '' Mingguan Melayu'' in 1952. His first poems and stories were published in this newspaper as well as Its daily counterpart '' Utusan Melayu''. One of Wan Osman's most well-known pseudonyms was "Tongkat Warrant". This was a reference to his days as police officer, combining " warrant" with "tongkat", which is the Malay word for a police stick.

While in Singapore and within the context of the emergence of Malay nationalism and its struggle against British colonialism, Wan Osman participated in the founding of the literary group ''Angkatan Sasterawan 50'', better known as ''ASAS 50''. Inspired by their Indonesian counterpart ''Angkatan Sasterawan 45'' and the Indonesian National Revolution, Wan Osman's group advocated the use of the Malay language as an act of national expression and pushed the concept of "art for society's sake", as opposed to "art for art's sake". The group's output was explicitly left-wing in nature, writing about the poor, the peasantry, the struggle against poverty, and the inequity of landlordism.

He lived in Kuala Lumpur after the independence of Federation of Malaya, where he worked at the national language and literary regulatory board, the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka from 1963 until 1985. He was one of its chief editors.

From 1961 until 1965, Wan Osman served as the first chairman of the literary organisation "Pena".

He was also involved in the ''Keranda 152'' ("Coffin 152") movement in 1967, which protested the fact Malay was still not used as a medium of instruction and in the judiciary. The protest resulted in the National Language Act 1963/67, which made Malay, the national language, the sole official language of the country.

In 1986, he initiated the creation of the Council for Translation and Creative Works of Malaysia, now known as the ''Institut Terjemahan Buku Malaysia'' (the Malaysian Book Translation Institute). He was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Malaya during this period.

Usman Awang died of a heart attack on 29 November 2001 in Kuala Lumpur. He was laid to rest at Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur. He was 72 years old.

Works

The author of several collections of poetry, more than twenty plays, one novel (''Tulang-Tulang Berserakan'' - "Bones Strewn About"), numerous short stories and journalistic articles. His works have been translated into 11 languages, including English.

Critical evaluation

Soviet orientalist B.B.Parnickel assessed Usman's creativity, writing:

"With rich, euphonious, in a way traditional language, he wrote a lot and enthusiastically about his homeland, love, freedom, and the wave of his emotions affects truly magically his readers"

Legacy

Several places and honours were named after him, including:
*Sekolah Kebangsaan Dato Usman Awang, a primary school at Kampung Kota Kechil in Kota Tinggi, Johor.
*Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Dato' Usman Awang, a secondary school which was formerly known as Sekolah Menengah Kebangsaan Taman Perling located at Taman Perling in Johor Bahru, Johor.
*Jalan Dato' Usman Awang, a road in Sedili, Johor.
* On 15 May 2014 in Kuala Lumpur the Usman Awang Foundation was established which annually awards the National Integration Award named after Usman Awang.
* In April 2016, a stamp and envelope with the image of the writer were issuedMalaysia Issued Stamps on National Laureates http://philamirror.info/2016/05/06/malaysia-issued-stamps-on-national-laureates/

Bibliography

*Pogadaev, Victor (5 December 2001), ''Bapa Sastera Melayu Moden'' (The Father of Modern Malay Literature). – ''Berita Harian'', .
*Pogadaev, Victor (16 March 2002), ''‘Dari Bintang ke Bintang’ papar kekuatan puisi Usman'' ("From One Star To Another" Shows the High Level of Usman' Poetry). – ''Berita Harian''
*Zurinah Hassan, (2006) ''Sasterawan negara Usman Awang'' (National Laureate Usman Awang). Kuala Lumpur:Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
*Muhammad Haji Salleh (2006), ''Seorang Penyair, Sebuah Benua Rusuh: Biografi Usman Awang'' (A Poet and Revolting Continent: Usman Awang' Biography). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka. ,
*''Usman Awang: Penghubung Sastera Moden Dengan Akar Tradisi'' (Usman Awang: A Linc Between Modern and Traditional Literature). 2003. Editor, Hamzah Hamdani. Johore Baru: Yayasan Warisan Johor, . ,
*Halilah Haji Khalid (2004), Usman Awang Dalam Esei dan Kritikan (Usman Awang in Essays and Ctitics). Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, 2004.
* Chong Fah Hing (2010), ''Karya Usman Awang dari Persepsi Masyarakat Cina'' (Works of Usman Avang in the perception of the Chinese community). - Dlm. Menyirat Inspirasi. Penyelenggara Dato 'Dr. Ahmad Khamal Abdullah, Johor Bahru: YWJ Citra Holdings Sdn. Bhd.pp. 109–113.

Awards

* S.E.A. Write Award (1982)
* State Literary Prize (1983).
* Malaysian National Laureate (1983)
* Honorary Doctor of University of Malaya
* Darjah Kebesaran by the Sultan of Perak and the title "Dato’" (1991)

See also

*Mass media in Malaysia
* Abdul Rahim Kajai
* A. Samad Said
*Aziz Ishak
*Ishak Haji Muhammad
*Said Zahari
* Abdul Samad Ismail
*Yusof Ishak

References

External links

Keeping dad’s legacy alive (The Sun Daily)

{{Authority control

1929 births
2001 deaths
People from Johor
Malaysian people of Malay descent
Malaysian poets
S.E.A. Write Award winners
Malay-language poets
Malaysian National Laureates