In London, British author, J K Rowling who is famous for her Harry Potter books, emerged as the highest income grossing individual according to Forbes financial magazine, generating roughly £150 million (RM1.05 billion) last year. The Harry Potter books, a series focusing on the experiences of a boy with magic powers, sold around 375 copies all over the world. Her newest book, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, sold 44 million copies since it hit the market last July.
Not to mention the author of Man From Mars, Women From Venus, Dr. John Gray, novels by Dan Brown, John Grisham, Stephen King, Ian Fleming and many more.
They are able to gain high incomes just by documenting their thoughts and ideas in writing. Considering the situation in Malaysia, what would be the value of our thoughts if they were documented?
This question involves our dignity and credibility as humans, especially as Muslims who are commanded to pursue and spread knowledge not only through observation, but also through reading. Considering the situation abroad where writing is a celebrated occupation, several excuses usually arise.
Firstly, we will certainly talk about the scope of writing abroad, which is not restricted or controlled. Authors have the freedom to write whatever they wish. They are also unafraid to step out of the box to produce great novels. There is healthy competition among them and there is good communication between the world of writing, publishing and marketing.
Secondly, we are discouraged with the excuse that the readership abroad is much larger, encompassing the whole world. With the spread of the English language throughout the world, they are able to capture readers from all over the globe. Thus, seeing as how the number of Malay books is comparable to the number of English books in Malaysia, we are too quick to label that the book industry in Malaysia is lagging behind.
Development in the world of writing in Malaysia changes with the times and the situation of the community that upholds it. During the era of the Malay Sultanate and under the monarchy system in the past, writing is regarded as a thing of high value. This is because the transition from oral communication to written communication was handled by the intellectuals and scholars. Not everyone can recount an event through their verbal creativity, and not many can write except for the people of the court and high officials.
Stories that are relayed include aspects of entertainment, morality, and educate the community about decent social values, in addition to a focus on religious aspects with the advent of Islam in the region. That was when people were introduced to all manners of legends, animal tales, story-tellers’ narratives, Javanese literatures, literatures on the country’s governance, and many more. Letters and writings of old were further enriched by tales of Amir Hamzah, Stories of the Prophets, the Legend of Panji Semirang, the Legend of Raja Parsi and the Malay Annals, the Legend of Hang Tuah, Pak Kadok, Si Luncai, Sulalatus Salatin and so on.
That era illustrated the role of writing and letters in traditional Malay communities back then. What they needed was a form of letters and writings which can be a source of entertainment for them, aside from musical instruments and traditional games.
Not to mention the author of Man From Mars, Women From Venus, Dr. John Gray, novels by Dan Brown, John Grisham, Stephen King, Ian Fleming and many more.
They are able to gain high incomes just by documenting their thoughts and ideas in writing. Considering the situation in Malaysia, what would be the value of our thoughts if they were documented?
This question involves our dignity and credibility as humans, especially as Muslims who are commanded to pursue and spread knowledge not only through observation, but also through reading. Considering the situation abroad where writing is a celebrated occupation, several excuses usually arise.
Firstly, we will certainly talk about the scope of writing abroad, which is not restricted or controlled. Authors have the freedom to write whatever they wish. They are also unafraid to step out of the box to produce great novels. There is healthy competition among them and there is good communication between the world of writing, publishing and marketing.
Secondly, we are discouraged with the excuse that the readership abroad is much larger, encompassing the whole world. With the spread of the English language throughout the world, they are able to capture readers from all over the globe. Thus, seeing as how the number of Malay books is comparable to the number of English books in Malaysia, we are too quick to label that the book industry in Malaysia is lagging behind.
Development in the world of writing in Malaysia changes with the times and the situation of the community that upholds it. During the era of the Malay Sultanate and under the monarchy system in the past, writing is regarded as a thing of high value. This is because the transition from oral communication to written communication was handled by the intellectuals and scholars. Not everyone can recount an event through their verbal creativity, and not many can write except for the people of the court and high officials.
Stories that are relayed include aspects of entertainment, morality, and educate the community about decent social values, in addition to a focus on religious aspects with the advent of Islam in the region. That was when people were introduced to all manners of legends, animal tales, story-tellers’ narratives, Javanese literatures, literatures on the country’s governance, and many more. Letters and writings of old were further enriched by tales of Amir Hamzah, Stories of the Prophets, the Legend of Panji Semirang, the Legend of Raja Parsi and the Malay Annals, the Legend of Hang Tuah, Pak Kadok, Si Luncai, Sulalatus Salatin and so on.
That era illustrated the role of writing and letters in traditional Malay communities back then. What they needed was a form of letters and writings which can be a source of entertainment for them, aside from musical instruments and traditional games.
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