Salmi Manja

Salmi Manja
BornSaleha binti Abdul Rashid
(1937-07-24)24 July 1937
Singapore, Straits Settlements
Died26 December 2023(2023-12-26) (aged 86)
Subang Jaya, Selangor, Malaysia
Pen nameSalmi Manja
Melati Desa
Rashidah Salleh
OccupationNovelist, poet, journalist
LanguageMalay
Notable worksHari Mana Bulan Mana
Sayang Ustazah Sayang

Saleha binti Abdul Rashid (24 July 1937 – 26 December 2023), better known by her pen name Salmi Manja, was a Malaysian novelist, poet, and journalist. She was among the first Malaysian professional women writers and best known for her 1960 novel Hari Mana Bulan Mana (What Day What Month).[1] Femininity, women's issues, and Islam are recurring themes in her work.

Biography

Salmi went to Darul Maarif Arabic-language school and Tong Chai English School in Singapore. In 1956, Salmi attended a writing course offered by the Malay writer Harun Aminurrashid and became a member of the ASAS 50 group along with Usman Awang.

Before her career as a journalist and writer, Salmi worked as a religious teacher in her former school Darul Maarif during which time she contributed works of poetry to a number of local magazines. Salmi later became a journalist for Semenanjung and Berita Harian.[2]

In April 1958, Salmi married the noted novelist and poet A. Samad Said and moved from Singapore to join him in Kuala Lumpur.[3] Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, she published five other novels and two anthologies of short stories and poems. She continued her career as a journalist, working with Cahaya Lembaga and the Selangor Islamic Women's Association.[1]

Salmi died on 26 December 2023, at the age of 86.[4]

Selected works

Novels

  • 1960, Hari Mana Bulan Mana (What Day What Month)
  • 1968, Rindu Hilang Ditapak Tangan
  • Sayang Ustazah Sayang (A Pity, Ustazah, a Pity)

Collection of short stories

  • Daun-daun Berguguran (Fallen Leaves)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Hooker, Virginia Matheson (2000). Writing A New Society: Social Change Through the Novel in Malay. Honolulu: Allen & Unwin and University of Hawaii Press. p. 388 (appendix).
  2. ^ Campbell, Christine (2004). Contrary Visions: Women and Work in Malay Novels Written by Women. Kuala Lumpur: Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka.
  3. ^ "Latar belakang Salmi Manja". Wanita ini Salmi Manja. 17 February 2010. Retrieved 8 July 2014.
  4. ^ "Former journalist, novelist Salmi Manja dies". Malay Mail. 26 December 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.