Sunday, April 11, 2010

PRAISE FOR HIKAYAT

What a marvelous piece of work!

Tan Sri Datuk Dr Khoo Kay Kim
Professor Emeritus
University Malaya

You [ninotaziz] have lifted the heavy veil locking so many interesting stories from traditional Malay folklore – epicenter of Malay literature written down in paper centuries later. The assortment of stories in the book keep extending with one’s imagination and creativity. With such diversity, we have stories in prose and poem. This book happens to represent a selection of all the stories known to the Malay people in the past. In the book we have spellbinding myths in the collective imagination and creativity of the Malay story tellers, authors. Without imagination and creativity, many of the stories will be flat, dry and unattractive. I am proud that you have taken us into another world of fantasy by stepping into some of the various stages in story telling.

I am pleased to find so many indigenously Malay characters in the book. They include Anak Panah Gade Wat Ekor, Berantai Kepala Naga, Tuan Puteri Lindungan Bulan, Tengku Malim Deman, Si Kembang China, and Sepit Bentala Sang Naga Maha Gangg. Their appearance means so much to the authenticity of the tales in the book. They are certainly pre-Islam, thus help to push these stories back to their original sources before the coming of Hinduism at least in 100 BC and Islam in the 13rd century.

Professor Dr Ding Choo Ming
INSTITUT ALAM & TAMADUN MELAYU (ATMA), UKM Bangi

Selama dua tahun yang lepas, Puan Zalina Abdul Aziz, penulis buku HIKAYAT, telah dengan bersungguh sungguh meminta saya mengajar dan menerangkan kepada beliau jalan cerita dari wayang kulit dan makyung. Beliau telah menulis cerita Hikayat Maharaja Wana dari Wayang Kulit, Anak Raja Gondang dan Raja Besar Ho Gading dari makyung untuk dimuatkan ke-dalam buku terbarunya ‘HIKAYAT – Legends From The Ancient Malay Kingdoms.’ Saya telah meneliti setiap jalan cerita yang di-tulis beliau dan dapat mengesahkan jalan cerita ini sahih mengikut tradisi Wayang Kulit Kelantan tulen.

Saya telah lama menyarankan bahawa pihak ASWARA memerlukan dokumentasi sebegini untuk pelajar khususnya dan masyarakat serta peminat kebudayaan Melayu secara amnya. Usaha gigih Zalina yang mendalam untuk menulis cerita cerita hikayat lama ini amat membanggakan dan saya menyokong Zalina dalam usaha murni memahsyurkan tradisi Wayang Kulit dan Makyung ini.

CHE MOHD NASIR YUSUFF
Adiguru Wayang Kulit, ASWAR

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