These few months, I am actually trying to figure out on how to do some creative writings and developing them into novels. I cannot really judge the novels written in our country especially those written in Malay as I am not really reading them. Some that I had read was borrowed from my little sister who loves to live in fantasy and dream. Immature girl... What can we expect... Even sometimes I have to be her mother and cooking for her though I'm not a mother since she cannot do those chores herself.
I have got some idea on writing the story but I find that it is hard to bring everything in detail. Other than that, I do everything based on life experience and not about day-dreaming since I had forgotten how to dream or having a nice pretty fantasy. Most of the Malay novels that I had seen in my little sisters basket (which some of them are actually borrowed from her close friend) talks about love and most of them are for females written by females. Maybe like one or two out of dozens of the novels are with thriller theme like the one that I read titled Tandaruo something in Dusun or perhaps Kadazan language, which is the language of a state in our Borneo side. I read the book until I finished it, khatammm...
I also have few immigrant friends from India. Some of them are from Himachal Pradesh and some from Punjab but I never befriend Pakistani anymore since I had an incident with an anonymous Pakistani guy near the musalla of my third point last year. I never make any visitation to the musalla anymore. I always have this weird encounter where people from Northern India would suddenly talk to me in their language but I can only reply to them in English, hahaha... I am not fluent in Hindustani language but I can still understand the language.
Another concern is that, I do not know whether to publish them or just writing as a charity. I made many translations as well as rewriting lectures for religious studies be they of Islamic or non-Islamic sources. I read many kinds of books from religious books, history, anthropology, politics, sociology, law, and others. I still remember I had read many Old Malay novels or perhaps books like Tenggelamnya Kapal Van Der Wijk and Di Bawah Lindungan Kaabah written by Abdul Karim Amrullah from Sumatera, Indonesia. I read almost everything written by this figure...
Other than that I read Putera Gunung Tahan by Pak Sako from Pahang state, Salina written by A. Samad Said most that still can remember some glimpse of the stories. Other than that, the book that I read or lessons in form of stories that I'd heard have religious connotations for e.g the Hikayat Seri Rama which is a 15th century Malay translation of the Javanese Hindu poem or Kawiyam adapted from the Vaalmiki Ramayana from ancient India. Some Serat Bharatayuddha which is a part of Mahabharata translated into Indonesian language from ancient Indo-Javanese language. From Hindu Javanese sources, I read their Serat Jaya Ing Bhaya which means the Gospel of Countering Dangers written by Ranggawarsatita. I suspect that this figure was a Vaishnava Javanese Hindu or at least influenced by his Hindu teacher in Bali Island rather than a "Muslim" though his grandfather had also sent him to study under a Muslim religious teacher.
Of course I am familiar with Jataka tales and the previous life of lord Buddha before he receives his final blast. I also had read few versions of Ramayana from the Bengal version, Hindi version by Tulasidas and the Tamil's Kamban Ramayana. I bought myself a pocket Bhagavadgita in Sanskrit with English translation while I worked in the airport as a Chinese interpreter for a government agency. When I stay alone, I would read them and checking what lord Krishna had said to Arjuna. I had lost the pocket Bhagavadgita but I still remember some details about it.
Owh, yeah!!!! I had read two translations of Tamil classics written during their Golden Age of Poetry or the Sangam era. Two books which I had read with great enthusiastic were the Silappadikaram by Ilango Adigal translated by Alain Danielou and Manimegalai written by Sithalai Sathanar who was a Buddhist. I borrowed books from the Hamza Sendut I Library and read the translation of Manusmriti which is the source of Hindu customary law while I was in the first and second year undergraduate while I did not mix with people but secluding myself from the crowd and only reciting litanies while not talking or thinking. The Manimegalai book was written by the writer who conducts interview with people before he wrote his masterpiece.... I enjoyed reading his book the most though the second book, Manimegalai which is a sequel shows some magical things like magic pots and stuffs in order to highlight the conversion of the latter character and the title of the latter book into Buddhism.
Islamic books that I had read of course about our noble prophet Muhammad s.a.w. From his birth, his childhood time upward to his struggles in the spiritually ignorant society in his lifetime. Then I read about his companions life namely Abu Bakr, Omar, Othman and Ali r.a. I read few Christian gospels whether the Canonical ones or Apocalyptic ones when I was sixteen years old. I just read them to find some traces about our noble prophet Jesus a.s which is not really a little figure but among important figures in our Path. I was not even interested nor excited to be a Christian anyway, lol. I could say now after "some" turbulence in my life and faith that I personally love Islam without actually being "indoctrinated" as one, I would never let myself losing this blessing and I would love prophet Muhammad s.a.w to be my attorney in the hereafter. Yeah, I read the Qisas al-Anbiyaa or the Life of Prophets and other Arabian Chronicles that I had stated in some posts here.
Urmmm, I can't recall... there were so many books that I had read in different languages too for e.g in Chinese or even their translations for the classics into modern languages like English, modern Chinese or Malay. There were many themes that I had read from the formally tedious ones like law and textbooks to academic writings... I am interested in fiction books too for e.g the City of the Beast by Isabel Allende, the Last Vampire written by Christopher Pikes where I finished all of the series and missed the recent series, the Cirque Du Freak by Darren Shan and the Eaters of the Dead written by Michael Crichton which I think a bit done with strict researches... I read that a historical fiction could be twisted a little to entertain readers but maybe it would raise polemics among the boring traditionalists... haha...
Sealed with prayers for mercy, peace and love, amin!
