Penghulu

“He is a writer critical of apathy, excessive individuality and a human life bereft of spirituality. Undoubtedly, he is today one of the leading Singaporean Malay writers whose works are well received both nationally and regionally.”
—Dr Azhar Ibrahim, National University of Singapore

Born in 1930 in Pasir Panjang, Singapore, Suratman Markasan completed his studies at Sultan Idris Training College in 1950, before joining the teaching service and enrolling in Nanyang University, where he majored in Malay and Indonesian Studies. He was appointed Assistant Director for Malay and Tamil studies at the Ministry of Education and lectured at the Institute of Education until 1995. He has received the S.E.A. Write Award, the Montblanc-NUS Centre for the Arts Literary Award, the Tun Seri Lanang Literary Award and Singapore’s Cultural Medallion.

Solehah Ishak is Professor of Theatre Arts, specialising in traditional and modern Malay plays. Currently she teaches at the Faculty of Film, Theatre and Animation at the University Technology MARA. She has a Ph.D. in Theatre Arts from Cornell University and has translated more than 30 Malay plays into the English language, and has also translated English and German plays into Bahasa Melayu. A recipient of the Japan Foundation Fellowship and the Sumitomo Award, she has also translated Noh plays into Bahasa Melayu.