K. S. Maniam

Peter Charles Wicks

The Literary Encyclopedia. Volume 10.4.2: Hong Kong, Singaporean, Malaysian and Myanmar Writing and Culture.

Dates

Born 1942
Died 19 Feb 2020
Activity 1962-2018

Places

Born in Malaysia
Active in Malaysia

Activities

Primary

Playwright / Dramatist
Story-writer

Resources

Maniam's Works

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K. S. Maniam was a prolific writer, with three novels, two plays, and numerous short stories to his credit. An intense, reserved, yet courteous person, he lived with his wife and children in a modest, two-storeyed house in Subang, one of the dormitory suburbs of Kuala Lumpur, the capital of Malaysia. It was my privilege to visit him there, and to engage in the discussions on which this profile draws. Despite his critically-acclaimed literary achievements, Maniam was denied official recognition and public acclaim in his country of birth because he chose to write in English, rather than the national language known as Bahasa Malaysia. Yet there are valid reasons for his choice of literary medium, reasons that are inherent in Malaysia’s modern history as former British colony and now…

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2444 words

Citation: Wicks, Peter Charles. "K. S. Maniam". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 16 April 2007; last revised 22 July 2022. [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=2914, accessed 22 November 2024.]