Role Novelist Name Fatimah Busu | Notable works Ombak Bukan Biru Ethnicity Malay | |
![]() | ||
Occupation novelist, short-story writer, academic Books Salam Maria, Al-Isra', The missing piece | ||
Fatimah Busu (born January 1943) is an award-winning Malaysian novelist, short-story writer, and academic. She is one of the leading contemporary authors of fiction in the Malay language, actively publishing since the 1970s. She is also the foremost Malay-language literary critic.
Contents
Early life and career
Fatimah was born in Kota Bharu in the north-eastern state of Kelantan, Malaysia. She attended her local Malay school in Kelantan before enrolling in the Malay Teacher's in Melaka. Fatimah worked as a teacher for almost ten years, until 1972, before then attending Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Penang. Since her graduation she has been a member of staff at the university's Faculty of Humanities.
Her literary career began with her short story Kerana Adik ('Because of a Younger Sibling'), published in the Singaporean magazine Mutiara in 1959. Her second short story, Hari Pesta ('Festival Day'), was published in Gelanggang Filem in 1960.
Fatimah Busu's first novel, Ombak Bukan Biru ('The Waves Are Not Blue') was published in 1977.
Adaptations of her works
Three of her works namely Nasinya Tumpah, Bunga-Bunga Pulau and Seribu Kali Sejuta Kali have been adapted for television, all aired on TV1.