South-east Asia's folktales get a fresh remix in new ‘Penglipur Lara' anthology
National Oral Literature Association (Persalina) president Ninot Aziz said folklore, which is rich in cultural values, language and heritage, should serve as a primary source of inspiration in cultivating a narrative that reflects love for the country and its cultural roots.
'I want them (young readers) to take pride not in Western works but in our own folktales as these stories originate from our land, from our own history,' she told Bernama after the launch of the book in conjunction with the 2025 Kuala Lumpur International Book Fair (KLIBF 2025) here today.
The event was launched by Persalina advisor and Sixth National Laureate, Prof Emeritus Muhammad Salleh and was also attended by KLIBF 2025 organising chairman Mohd Khair Ngadiron.
Ninot said the process of gathering stories for the book, which was inspired by Muhammad and co-published with Hikayat Fandom, began during the Covid-19 pandemic with members of the association traversing the country to meet storytellers such as Awang Batil in Perlis to 'wayang kulit' and 'mak yong' maestros in Kelantan.
'We are not merely rewriting these folktales, but also taking into account the original dialects and storytelling delivery style to preserve authenticity and strengthen our oral heritage,' she said, adding that efforts are underway to translate the works into English and other languages.
In conjunction with Malaysia's Asean chairmanship, Ninot said Persalina has also invited writers from South-east Asian countries such as Indonesia, the Philippines and Brunei to contribute their folktales.
'We have 25 writers and all of them are writing folktales from their own states and countries. This gives us a true sense of regional kinship and cultural unity, as these are stories from South-east Asia,' she said.
Ninot also noted that some stories are shared among several countries, such as 'Bidasari', which is known not only in Malaysia but also in the Philippines, Indonesia and Brunei.
'The story of 'Batu Bertangkup' is also included in this book, but it was written by an Indonesian author, not a Malaysian. This shows that these tales are shared among us and through storytelling, we can strengthen our bonds with one another,' she said.
Additionally, Ninot mentioned the association is planning to bring the book to the Beijing International Book Fair next month in hopes of attracting Chinese publishers to translate it into Mandarin.
'Penglipur Lara: Cerita Rakyat Asia Tenggara' is available at a special price of RM99 during KLIBF 2025, compared to its original price of RM120 per copy. — Bernama
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