KUALA LUMPUR – National laureate Datuk Dr Ahmad Kamal Abdullah, or widely known as Kemala, died about noon today at the age of 80 at his son’s house in Damansara 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. The burial took place 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 problems.
“His contributions were not only in the form of literary writing, literature development and producing new writers. 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 in primary school. His works had been translated into various languages including Chinese, Urdu, French, German, Dutch, Slovenian, Spanish and Serbo-Croatian. – Bernama, October 27, 2021
