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Hikayat Sri Anggerik
‘The Chronicles of Sri Anggerik’ (‘Hikayat Sri Anggerik’) is a semi-autobiographical work by Rasiah Halil. The term ‘Hikayat’ is taken from classical Malay literature which means ‘the story of/the chronicles of ’; ‘Sri’ is used as a name for women in the Malay classical era and can also be used as part of a title during that era and the present time for both women and men. ‘Anggerik’ means ‘orchid’; it is chosen because it is the national flower of Singapore. Hence this book is a story /chronicles of a woman from Singapore.
Hikayat Sri Anggerik is not a conventional semi-autobiography; it uses different genres of poetry, short story, and essay/article to form a sort of autobiography of the author and the era she lived in. The works are selected writings primarily in Malay but a few works in English (the author writes in English too---but not as regular as in Malay) are included as these form part of her life story. Hikayat Sri Anggerik traces the author’s involvement in writing with the publication of her first poem in March 1972, her school career, her university days, her work/study/vacation stints overseas and the last phase, her life in Singapore from 1997 until December 2006 (the last entry of her writing----the year she turned 50).
The ‘Hikayat Sri Anggerik’ is divided into 4
1.‘Related to School Life’ (‘Sekitar Sekolah’): this segment contains 1 prologue, 8 poems, 1 short story and 2 essays/articles. It includes her first few works published in Majalah Harapan and Prospect (Singapore Ministry of Education magazines), Radio Singapore (Malay Section, RTS), Dewan Sastera (Malay Language & Literary Bureau literary journal, KL), Berita Minggu (Singapore Sunday paper), New Nation (Singapore afternoon paper of the 70s) etc. This segment traces her life from her secondary school days in 1972 until 1976---just before she becomes an undergraduate at the University of Singapore.
2.‘The Wacky Campus Life & Related Issues’ (‘Kerenah Kampus & Sekitarnya’). This segment contains 3 prologues, 2 campus songs, 14 poems, 1 short story and 10 essays/articles of her ‘Sri Anggerik’ campus columns. This phase of her life spans from 1976 until 1986 when she was an undergraduate, and later as a post-graduate student and her stint as a trained junior college teacher in Singapore.
3.‘And The Journey Is…’ (‘Dan Perjalanan Itu Adalah…’) This segment contains 1 prologue, 19 poems, 3 short stories, 6 essays/articles. It traces the author’s ‘wandering years’ as a lecturer in Brunei, her vacations overseas and work stints in Singapore, her participation in the International Writing Program, University of Iowa, and her residence in KL to fulfill residential requirement for her further studies. This phase spans the years February 1986 until 1st January 1997.
4.‘In The Local & Global Garden’ (‘Di Taman Sekampung & Sejagat’). This segment contains 1 prologue, 1 epilogue, 19 poems, 28 essays/articles of the ‘Sri Anggerik’ columns (chosen out of more than 200 essays/articles of the column). This section is the author’s ‘coming to terms with her life’ phase as she comes back to Singapore and learns to appreciate more of her surroundings, heritage, shared memories and becomes more aware of her shared humanity with others. This segment spans the years 1997 until December 2006.
‘The Chronicles of Sri Anggerik’ (‘Hikayat Sri Anggerik’) is an attempt to document part of the author’s life, her writing involvements and her collective memory and heritage that can be easily shared with so many others, whether they are baby-boomers or those born later, in Singapore or in other parts of the world.
Hikayat Sri Anggerik is not a conventional semi-autobiography; it uses different genres of poetry, short story, and essay/article to form a sort of autobiography of the author and the era she lived in. The works are selected writings primarily in Malay but a few works in English (the author writes in English too---but not as regular as in Malay) are included as these form part of her life story. Hikayat Sri Anggerik traces the author’s involvement in writing with the publication of her first poem in March 1972, her school career, her university days, her work/study/vacation stints overseas and the last phase, her life in Singapore from 1997 until December 2006 (the last entry of her writing----the year she turned 50).
The ‘Hikayat Sri Anggerik’ is divided into 4
1.‘Related to School Life’ (‘Sekitar Sekolah’): this segment contains 1 prologue, 8 poems, 1 short story and 2 essays/articles. It includes her first few works published in Majalah Harapan and Prospect (Singapore Ministry of Education magazines), Radio Singapore (Malay Section, RTS), Dewan Sastera (Malay Language & Literary Bureau literary journal, KL), Berita Minggu (Singapore Sunday paper), New Nation (Singapore afternoon paper of the 70s) etc. This segment traces her life from her secondary school days in 1972 until 1976---just before she becomes an undergraduate at the University of Singapore.
2.‘The Wacky Campus Life & Related Issues’ (‘Kerenah Kampus & Sekitarnya’). This segment contains 3 prologues, 2 campus songs, 14 poems, 1 short story and 10 essays/articles of her ‘Sri Anggerik’ campus columns. This phase of her life spans from 1976 until 1986 when she was an undergraduate, and later as a post-graduate student and her stint as a trained junior college teacher in Singapore.
3.‘And The Journey Is…’ (‘Dan Perjalanan Itu Adalah…’) This segment contains 1 prologue, 19 poems, 3 short stories, 6 essays/articles. It traces the author’s ‘wandering years’ as a lecturer in Brunei, her vacations overseas and work stints in Singapore, her participation in the International Writing Program, University of Iowa, and her residence in KL to fulfill residential requirement for her further studies. This phase spans the years February 1986 until 1st January 1997.
4.‘In The Local & Global Garden’ (‘Di Taman Sekampung & Sejagat’). This segment contains 1 prologue, 1 epilogue, 19 poems, 28 essays/articles of the ‘Sri Anggerik’ columns (chosen out of more than 200 essays/articles of the column). This section is the author’s ‘coming to terms with her life’ phase as she comes back to Singapore and learns to appreciate more of her surroundings, heritage, shared memories and becomes more aware of her shared humanity with others. This segment spans the years 1997 until December 2006.
‘The Chronicles of Sri Anggerik’ (‘Hikayat Sri Anggerik’) is an attempt to document part of the author’s life, her writing involvements and her collective memory and heritage that can be easily shared with so many others, whether they are baby-boomers or those born later, in Singapore or in other parts of the world.
416 pages, Paperback
First published November 11, 2007
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