KUALA LUMPUR: The story of Abdullah Abdul Kadir, the Father of Modern Malay Literature, has been made into a book titled “A Legacy Remembered”.
Author Datuk Siti Saleha Sheikh Abu Bakar said she decided to write the book when she discovered that she was the great-great-grandchild of Abdullah, also known as Munshi Abdullah, who was a leading literary figure in modern Malay literature and Malay historiography.
"After retiring, I spent time tracing my paternal family roots across seven generations, and found out that I was very much related to Munshi Abdullah."
Siti Saleha said it took her seven years to finish writing the book, which was launched today by the Raja Permaisuri Agong Tunku Azizah Aminah.
According to her, the book was a result of plenty of research about Munshi Abdullah through his writings and journals.
"Some of it was his translated works that I obtained from the United States and the United Kingdom,” she added.
Siti Saleha also dedicated two chapters of her book to the late Sultans of Johor, Sultan Abu Bakar and Sultan Ibrahim.
Munshi Abdullah was a great Malay scribe who was born in Melaka. He was well-known for his works such as “Hikayat Munshi”.
His youngest son, Muhammad Ibrahim inherited his father’s passion for writing and teaching and was bestowed the title “Dato’ Bentara Dalam” by the late Sultan Sir Abu Bakar.
Ibrahim was also known as the Father of Malay Education in Johor for his contributions towards the development of education in the state during the late 19th century.
Tunku Azizah in her speech said the book launch was an emotional one for her, as she was part of the Johor royal legacy and proud of it.
“Sultan Abu Bakar was a man of vision. He knew what he wanted for Johor.
She added that Sultan Abu Bakar set up a school and educated young men to be future administrators of Johor.
“He gave them education, and that’s where the Munshis came in,” she said.
Tunku Azizah also told about how her family was close to Siti Saleha’s, fondly recalling the ‘apam gula hangus’ made by the author’s mother.
“I taught all of my cooks (the recipe) because Bonda loved it so much.”
The book, although not available for sale, will be placed in schools and libraries in Johor.