National laureate Kemala dies today

KUALA LUMPUR: National laureate Datuk Dr Ahmad Kamal Abdullah, or known by his pseudonym Kemala, died about noon today at the age of 80 at his house in Jalan Kelang Lama here.

National Writers Association (PENA) president Dr Mohamad Saleeh Rahamad said the remains were taken to the Surau As Shahabah, Section 7 Kota Damansara, Petaling Jaya, and buried at the Section 9 Muslim Cemetery in Kota Damanasara after the Asar prayer.

He said Ahmad Kamal had been sick with several chronic illnesses including kidney problem.

"His contributions were not only in the form of literary writing, literature development and producing new writers, but through the Persatuan Sasterawan Nusantara Melayu Raya (NUMERA) which he founded, he had brought literature to the international level and brought together writers in Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore," he said when contacted by Bernama.

Ahmad Kamal, who received the National Laureate award in 2012, was with Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka from 1968 until he retired in 1996.

He was active in literary works and started writing poetry since primary school. His works had been translated into various languages including Chinese, Urdu, French, German, Dutch, Slovenian, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian.

-- BERNAMA