Salmi Manja

Saleha binti Abdul Rashid (born 24 July 1937), better known by her pen name Salmi Manja, is 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.

Salmi Manja
BornSaleha binti Abdul Rashid
(1937-07-24) 24 July 1937
Singapore
Pen nameSalmi Manja
Melati Desa
Rashidah Salleh
Occupationnovelist, poet, journalist
LanguageMalay
Notable worksHari Mana Bulan Mana
Sayang Ustazah Sayang

Biography

Salmi went to Darul Maarif Arab-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]

Selected works

Novels
  • Hari Mana Bulan Mana (What Day What Month, 1960)
  • Sayang Ustazah Sayang (A Pity, Ustazah, a Pity)

Collection of short stories
  • Daun-daun Berguguran (Fallen Leaves)

See also

References
  1. 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.
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