Description
It is hoped that, in these stories, the children of Malaya may find some of their natural background and heritage. For, with so many children being taught to read each year, there is still very little that is really Malayan for them to read. They are forced to struggle with stories containing foreign ideas and unknown back- grounds. The language is only a little more 'foreign' than the story itself and the attempt to master them becomes a task instead of a pleasure.
These stories were first written by Raja Bongsu and published in the form known as The Malay Annals. They were later translated into English and I have used the translation by C. C. Brown which was published in the Journal of the Malayan Branch of the Royal Asiatic Society (Vol. XXV, Parts 2 and 3). They are rich in fable and folklore; but the forms in which they have hitherto appeared make them unsuitable for children and difficult for adults to follow.
- Ann Parkinson
