Malaysia: Shakespeare in Malay

Malaysia’s Hafiz Hamzah has embarked on a monumental project to translate Shakespeare: The Star Online

“If you are talking about literature alone, specifically Malay literature, I think it is very stagnant, if not worsening. Malay literature no longer resides in the heart of readers,” Hafiz feels.

His aspirations finally manifested late last year when Obscura: Merapat Renggangwas published. The slim volume offers translated snippets of works by great writers like Shakespeare, Hemingway and Homer to name a few, as well as original works by Ibrahim Yaakob, Alina Abdullah and Hafiz himself from the local front.