The kampung house revisited April 7, 2014 – Posted in: In The News
Article by Farah Fazanna Zulzaha
Guests to the Rumah: An Ode to Malay House book launch took the time to enjoy the illustrations by London-based illustrator Ahmad Harun.
A BOOK of poems dedicated to traditional Malay houses has been launched.
Penned by the cultural icon Tenas Effendy, Rumah: An Ode to the Malay Housepresents Tenas’ classic tribute to the Malay house alongside a lively English translation by Raimy Ché-Ross, making the work accessible to new audiences.
Malaysian cartoonist Datuk Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat, launched the 112-page book at Kuala Lumpur Gallery recently.
Lat said the new generation should appreciate the traditional Malay house.
“Peruse Rumah and appreciate the thousand and one meanings within its pages,” said Lat.
The book is furnished with illustrations by London-based illustrator Ahmad Harun, whose work is mostly in watercolour, acrylic and oil, that gives a breath of life to Tenas’ poems.
The book will delight lovers of poetry, architecture and Malay culture.
Architect and ecologist Datuk Dr Ken Yeang, who spearheaded the book, said the traditional Malay house was a cultural icon that the nation was fast losing.
“Many of today’s youth are born and bred in the city — mostly in high-rise apartments, in contemporary bungalows and terrace houses — and are not fully conversant with the village way of life.
“It is, after all, such values that make us culturally different,” he said.
Rumah is currently available from Areca Books on www.arecabooks.com and leading bookstores nationwide.
Article originally published in The Star Online, Friday March 28, 2014
