Baha Zain Malaysia

Bio
Cultural issues, social changes and disorientation feature prominently in the writings of Baha Zain, a poet and literary essayist who has been actively writing since the late 1960s. A graduate of University of Malaya in 1963, he later pursued post-graduate studies at the Universitas Indonesia in Jakarta and attended the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. He has published over 10 books of poems and essays, and garnered several literary awards, including the prestigious SEA Write Award in 1980. Baha is currently the president of the National Writers Association of Malaysia, or Persatuan Penulis Nasional Malaysia (PENA).



What book would you like to snuggle under covers with, and why?
"Authors write to communicate ideas and experiences, and I am always been fascinated by poets and essayists like Brodsky, Goenawan and Neruda who through their personal experiences and language genius compel us to fathom deeper into insights on human life, personal and public, or discover our own inadequacies. Neruda’s Passions and Impressions (1983) tells us more: the true love of our own country, its people, language, flora and fauna demands more than just writings."

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