Khadijah Hashim

Khadijah Hashim (born 20 April 1942 in Batu Pahat, Johor, Malaysia) is a Malaysian writer, teacher and journalist. She has worked as a teacher and also as a journalist with local newspapers Utusan Melayu (1974–1976) and Berita Harian (1976–1985). She is better known as a novelist, and has produced 19 novels. She also expanded her creativity in the field of short stories, radio drama scripts, children's books, rhymes and poetry. The children's rhyme book "Sayang Sayang" has been selected to be on Honour List of the International Board on Books for Young People (IBBY) in Basel, Switzerland (2002) and "Semerbak Poetry" in Macau, China (2006). Khadijah continues her interests in writing rhymes, which led to her latest creation of "Putera-puteri Malaysia".

Several of Khadijah's short stories and novels have been adapted to TV dramas.[1] Amongst them were "Mawar Merah di Jambangan", "Sekapur Sirih Segeluk Air", "Ditepi Pagar", and "Badai Semalam" and "Dekat Disayang Jauh Dikenang" novels. "Laila Azwa Gadisku" novel was adapted to television film. Meanwhile, "Mira Edora" and "Pelangi Pagi" novels have been made into movie films with the title of "Mira Edora" and "Bicara Hati" respectively.[2]

Her first and one of her best-known novel "Badai Semalam" (1968) was used as school textbook in Singapore and Malaysia.[3] The novel has been translated into English, "Storms of Yesterday", by Mahani Abdul Hamid in 1991 and Spanish, "Tormentos del ayer", by Alberto Balanza and Yahia in 2010. "Badai Semalam" was republished several times and the latest was in 2006 by Alaf 21 in the nostalgic novel series. The English version was also republished in 2009 by Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia under the Malaysian Literature Series.[4]

“Merpati Putih Terbang Lagi" novel won a consolation prize in a writing contest in the celebration of ten years of Malaysia's independence. The novel has also been translated into Japanese by Tatsun Hoshino. "Exiled" novel has been nominated for the International Dublin Literary Award in 1997. Her "Langkah Pertama" novel has won the Mobil-MABOPA Children's Book Award in 1995. Khadijah was the recipient of Southeast Asian Writers Award in 1999 and had undergone the International Writing Program at Iowa University in 1994. Her children's story book series, "Siri Lagenda", "Siri Aura dan Fauna" and "Siri Teladan dari Rimba" have been translated into English by the Institut Terjemahan Negara Malaysia (2009).