This article discusses works of four Malay authors who deal with Malaya's colonial past through parody, and expressions of admiration and disillusion when portraying British characters or describing travel to Britain. It seems that only a few Malay authors have tried to ‘write off’ their colonial past in the very obvious way of depicting and subverting colonial masters and systems. This may be due to the use of the Malay language, which provides the authors with an ‘easy way out’ of tackling the perhaps sensitive issue head-on – a similar suggestion has been made in relation to Indonesia.
AhmadA. Talib (1977), Datok Bahaman, Polygraphic, Kuala Lumpur.
2.
IshakAbdul Aziz (1974), Dari London ke Jedah [From London to Jeddah], Al-Ahmadiah, Singapore.
3.
IshakAbdul Aziz (1977), Special Guest: The Detention in Malaysia of the Ex-Cabinet Minister, Oxford University Press, Singapore.
4.
IshakAbdul Aziz (1987a), Katak Keluar dari Bawah Tempurung [The Frog Crawling Out from Under its Coconut Shell], Karya Bistari, Kuala Lumpur.
5.
IshakAbdul Aziz (1987b), Lompat Sikatak Lompat [Leap Frog, Leap], Karya Bistari, Kuala Lumpur.
6.
HussainAbdullah (1982), Harun Aminurrashid. Pembangkit Semangat Kebangsaan [Harun Aminurrashid Raising Nationalist Fervour], Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, Kuala Lumpur.
DayT.FoulcherK., eds (2002), ‘Postcolonial readings of modern Indonesian literature: Introductory remarks’, in Clearing a Space: Postcolonial Readings of Modern Indonesian Literature, KITLV Press, Leiden, pp 1–17.
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10.
AminurrashidHarun (1961), Terbang Ka-Barat [Flying West], Pustaka Melayu, Singapore.
11.
HookerV. M. (2000), Writing a New Society. Social Change Through the Novel in Malay, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu.
12.
MuhammadIshak Haji (1973), Putera Gunung Tahan [The Prince of Mount Tahan], Pustaka Budaya, Petaling Jaya.
13.
MuhammadIshak Haji (1975), Anak Mat Lela Gila [The Son of Mad Mat Lela], Federal Publications, Singapore.
14.
MuhammadIshak Haji (1976), ‘Ilham mencipta Putra Gunung Tahan’ [Inspiration for writing The Prince of Mt Tahan], Dewan Sastra, April, pp 22–23.
15.
MasKeris (1969), Patah Tumboh. Cherita2 pendek di-kumpulkan dan di-bicharakan oleh Syed Husin Ali [Regeneration. Short Stories Compiled and Discussed by Syed Husin Ali], Fajar Bakti, Kuala Lumpur.
16.
ToerPramoedya Ananta (2004), ‘Mendengar si bisu bernyanyi’ [Listening to the mute's soliloquy], in On the Record, Tokoh-Tokoh Sastra Indonesia [On the Record, Indonesian Literary Figures], Disc C, No 6 (documentary), Lontar Foundation, Jakarta.
17.
ToerPramoedya Ananta (2006), Saya Terbakar Amarah Sendirian. Pramoedya Ananta Toer dalam Perbincangan dengan Andre Vltchek & Rossie Indira [I Was Scorched by my Own Anger. Pramoedya Ananta Toer in Discussion with Andre Vltchek & Rossie Indira], Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia, Jakarta.
18.
van der PuttenJ. (2004), ‘Configuring identity through script’, unpublished paper presented at a KITLV seminar on Script and Identity, December, Jakarta.
19.
SheppardM. (1949), The Adventures of Hang Tuah, Donald Moore, Singapore.
20.
SweeneyA. (2006), ‘Below the written tip of translation: Cross-medial interaction in Malay’, unpublished paper presented at a translation conference, Paris.
21.
SweeneyA. (2009), ‘A martyr of science or gaseous windbag?’ in van der PuttenJ.CodyM. K., eds, Lost Times and Untold Tales from the Malay World, NUS Press, Singapore, pp 66–81.
