Nasi Lemak Buah Bidara,
Sayang Selasih Hamba lurutkan,
Buang emak Buang Saudara,
Kerana Kasih Hamba turutkan.
- Lipur Lara Nusantara by Ninot Aziz
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First of all, all illustrations in this book is sublime. Kudos to the illustrators. Second, Thank you to Ninotaziz for writing in Malay as I felt more connected to these stories - because english could never been able to get the lingo right and capture it’s true meaning. I read ‘Hikayat’ by NinotAziz 2 years ago and have been looking forward to read this book ever since it got published. The author mentioned that she’s facing difficulty in selecting 40 stories to be part of this book as she has about 400 stories. Now, i want a sequel or part 2 as a continuation for this book. I want more because it is not enough. The book is comprised of 8 parts :
1. Ratu Alam Melayu
You may have heard of ‘Walinong Sari’, ‘Cik Siti Wan Kembang’ and ‘Puteri Saadung’ but in this part, Ninotaziz did introduce some of the legendary princesses tales that i didnt know of like ‘Ratu-Ratu Petani’ and ‘Arduga Wijamalai Langkasuka’.
2. Memori Sejarah Melayu
As for this particular part, there are 5 stories recalled back few old kingdoms that once ruled the few states in Peninsular Malaysia. One of the stories retold the famous kingdom once stood proudly in the area of “Manjung, Beruas and Dinding” in the state of Perak is Gangga Negara.
3. Memori Hikayat Hang Tuah
One of the greatest warriors in Malay History. I believe most malaysians recognized his. One of his famous quote is "Takkan Melayu Hilang di Dunia" meaning "Never shall the Malay(s) vanish from the earth".
4. Khazanah Cerita Rakyat
The stories in this part is taken from ‘Wayang Kulit’ Play. We can see that some of the stories and characters from the Mahabharata epic has been adapted into the play.
5. Lagenda Agung
This part assembled many folklores like ‘Si Tanggang’ , ‘Puteri Santubong’, ‘Raja Bersiong’, ‘Si Luncai’ and Huminodon’. The one that i am
not familiar is ‘Mistik Ulik Mayang’, at least the full story. I only knew the song which until now i am still being creeped out by the incantantion and the tone of the song.
6. Nusantara
I ventured into new whole world on this part as i am only familiar with the ‘Bidasari’ tale. I am now interested how these stories were being told across ‘Nusantara’ as we shared the same roots before colonizers came and decided to divide the countries.
7. Hikayat Lama
If you never heard or read ‘Hikayat Malim Dewa’ , ‘Hikayat Malim Deman’ or ‘Hikayat Si Miskin’, you are definitely in for a treat.
8. Antara Langit Dan Bumi
‘Sang Kancil’ stories is so nostalgic. I still remember how RTM did aired animation films produced by FINAS during commercials time. Reading this made me miss my childhood. Sang Kancil is such a ‘morally gray’ character. At one point, it helped other animals. Other time, it tricked others but we all can agree, it is such a wickedly smart animal as retold in those stories. Overall, I have nothing to add except i love this book.