Novel
Srengenge
Shahnon Ahmad · 1973
Synopsis
At the foot of the hill of Srengenge, in a village in Kedah, the men pass the time trapping turtledoves and porcupines. Awang Cik Teh, an elder, wants to clear the hill to put it under cultivation; but the village believes it is guarded by a spirit. When the imam Hamad, who leads the community, falls ill with a strange ailment, the spirits are blamed, and the healer Useng is sent for rather than a doctor.
Context
The novel appeared in 1973 from the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka, which has often reprinted it and in 2024 included it in its collection of works by national laureates. It portrays a community where the Muslim faith sits alongside animist beliefs and recourse to the healer, and sets those who want to make use of the hill against those who want to keep the old practices. Harry Aveling translated it into English in 1979, for Heinemann in Kuala Lumpur, and a German translation appeared in 2009.
Who it is for
A brief novel in Malay, about the life and beliefs of the Malay countryside; it exists in English and German, but not in French.
Prizes and reception
Named best novel at the Malaysian literary works prize, and reissued since as a classic of its author.
Sources for this page 11
The pages consulted to check this page.