From Association to Fellowship: The Work of the Contemporary Malaysian Chinese Poet Fraternity

Authors

Seong Lin DING, Faculty of Languages and Linguistics, University of MalayaFollow

Abstract

Chinese immigrants to Malaysia brought with them the tradition of literary creations. To date, a number of writers have produced literary works in the form of short stories, novels, poems, plays, and essays to reflect their experiences of life in their adopted home. Apart from creative works, Malaysian Chinese writes have formed literary groupings to further their interests. The earliest of these were established in the late 1960s and 1970s. One of the primary aims of these groupings was to encourage literary workers to channel their energies to work together for the larger interests of Malaysian Chinese literature.
This paper discusses the manner of fostering literary groupings among the fraternity of Malaysian Chinese poets and to examine the activities of selected poetry societies and a poetry performance event called Dongdiyin. It will explore the changes as experienced by these poets in their attempts to sustain and develop this phenomenon over the past 40 years. It will also consider the significance of Dongdiyin as an informal fellowship of Malaysian Chinese poets and its social impact.

Recommended Citation

DING, Seong Lin (2014) "From Association to Fellowship: The Work of the Contemporary Malaysian Chinese Poet Fraternity," Malaysian Journal of Chinese Studies: Vol. 3: No. 2, Article 1.
Available at: https://mjcs.newera.edu.my/journal/vol3/iss2/1