Dr Zurinah Hassan, better known as her nom de plume Haniruz, became Malaysia’s first-ever female recipient of the National Laureate Award last night.
The award was presented to her by Education Minister Mahdzir Khalid at a ceremony in Putrajaya, Berita Harian reports.
In addition to the recognition and well-deserved accolades, Dr Zunirah received RM60,000 in cash, a National Letter of Recognition, and a RM500,000 grant to print 50,000 copies of her written work to be purchased by the Federal Government and distributed to schools, libraries, and federal agencies across the nation.
The 67-year old Haniruz first left her mark on Malaysian literature with the publication of her 1974 work Sesayup Jalan, and built up her portfolio of novels, short prose, and poetry over the years. She has written 19 works of poetry, literary research, autobiographies, memoirs, short fiction anthologies and novels throughout the course of her career.
Her anthology of poetry, Menghadap ke Pelabuhan/Facing the Harbour, was published in 2010 by the Malaysian Institute of Translations and Books.
Several of her works have also been translated into Japanese, French, Spanish, and Russian.
Previously, Haniruz received the Putera Poetry Award in 1984, the Southeast Asia Write Award in 2004, and the Sunthorn Phu Poet Laureate Award for ASEAN poetry in 2013. She has also been a Perdana Literature Prize recipient.
The National Laureate Award is the highest literary honour in Malaysia.
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