The International School of Penang: Uplands is proud to host on September 5 the first female Malaysian Literary Laureate, Dr. Zurinah Hassan, for an afternoon celebrating her distinguished career and the joy of the written word. Dr. Zurinah has won many writing awards, including Southeast Asia Write Award in 2004 and the Sunthorn Phu Poetry Prize in 2013. Her memoir Zurinah Hassan Menjejak Puisi was chosen for National Library Book Award in 2004. Although known as a poet, Zurinah also won the Premier Literary Award (Hadiah Sastera Perdana and Hadiah Sastera Utusan (Utusan Literature Prize) for short stories.
Zurinah Hassan was born on June 13, 1949 in Alor Setar, Kedah, and received her early education in a Malay school in Tikam Batu, Sungai Petani Convent School and Sultanah Asma School , Alor Setar before studying at Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang (Penang). Zurinah obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree from Universiti Sains Malaysia, Master of Arts degree from UPM and a Ph.D from the University of Malaya. In 2013 she was conferred the Darjah Setia Diraja Kedah, carrying the tittle “Dato”.
For her expertise and contribution to literature, she was appointed to serve as Karyawan Tamu by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, Universiti Malaya and Universiti Utara Malaysia. Currently she is an Adjunct Professor at Universiti Malaysia Perlis.
Dr. Zurinah will be speaking to our Uplands DP Malay students specifically about her memoir, which the students study, and will thrill the entire community with a poetry reading.
The event will begin at 3:30 and end at 4:45 in the MPH2 on September 5, 2022. Dr. Zurinah will have copies of her books in Malay and English for sale at the event. We would love to see you in the audience of this amazing event.
Warm regards,
Ms. Shannon Kerry
Head of Language A Faculty
