Scenes of Malaysian Life

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Scenes of Malaysian Life
Author(s)Lat
Current status/scheduleEnded
Launch date1974
End date2014
Alternate name(s)Lat & Easy
Publisher(s)New Straits Times

Scenes of Malaysian Life (also known as Lat & Easy from 2002 to 2014) is a comic strip series by Malaysian cartoonist, Mohammad Nor Khalid, better known as Lat and published in the Malaysian English-language daily newspaper, the New Straits Times.[1][2] The comic strip, which ran for 40 years, from 1974 to 2014,[3] illustrated the common way of life of the multicultural Malaysia.[4] Some of his cartoons in the series also compiled in his comic books.

Background[edit]

In 1973, Lat, who was then a crime reporter at the New Straits Times,[5] submitted his comic strip for the Hong Kong-based Asia Magazine with the traditional life culture as the main subject where he drews a cartoon and provide the dialogues about a traditional Malay Muslim ritual, the circumcision.[6][7][8] It drews attention from the-then New Straits Times editor-in-chief, Lee Siew Yee, who later offered him a permanent column cartoonist role in the newspaper.[9][10] Lat then taking that position specially created for him by the newspaper's then editor, Abdul Samad Ismail.[11][12] This gave birth to the Scenes of Malaysian Life comic strip where his first job is to highlighted the daily lives of Malaysian multiracial culture and current affairs.[9][13][14] He described it as a "something very innovative at the time".[9]

The first cartoon that Lat drew in the series is the "Perak Wedding", which was published in March 1974.[2][15] After returned to Malaysia from his 4-month study at the St Martin's School of Art in London,[16] Lat changed the format of Scenes of Malaysian Life into an editorial cartoon series. In 1984, partly from a desire to step away from the public limelight, Lat resigned from the New Straits Times to become a freelancer,[17][18][19] but continued to draw Scenes of Malaysian Life for the newspaper.[20] In 1995, Scenes of Malaysian Life absent briefly from the New Straits Times as Lat decided to take a sabbatical for a year. The series resumed publication the following year[21] until it finally ended in 2014.[3]

Reception[edit]

The comic strip was well-received[22][23] and propelled Lat's work to a greater heights.[24] In the 2000s, the series ran three times per week in the New Straits Times.[25]

Ilham Gallery describe the series as "a truly Malaysian narrative and perfectly pictured the life of a nation".[26]

References[edit]

  1. ^ Muliyadi 2004, p. 216.
  2. ^ a b Berita Harian, Dua kekuatan jadi rahsia 2018.
  3. ^ a b Ipoh Echo, Kampung Boy and Beyond 2020.
  4. ^ New Straits Times, Lat recalls life 2020.
  5. ^ The Straits Times, Knowing Lat 1986, p. 6.
  6. ^ Willmott 1989.
  7. ^ Pameran Retrospektif Lat 2003, p. 118.
  8. ^ Jayasankaran 1999, p. 36.
  9. ^ a b c Lat 1994, p. 25.
  10. ^ History of New Straits Times 2007.
  11. ^ Nor-Afidah 2002.
  12. ^ Crossings: Datuk Lat 2003, 27:05–27:23.
  13. ^ Muliyadi 2003a.
  14. ^ Muliyadi 2004, p. 213.
  15. ^ The Borneo Post, Appreciating our multiculturalism 2019.
  16. ^ Crossings: Datuk Lat 2003, 30:35–31:15.
  17. ^ Lat 1994, p. 34.
  18. ^ Lent 1999.
  19. ^ Crossings: Datuk Lat 2003, 38:45–39:35.
  20. ^ Lat 1994, p. 35.
  21. ^ New Straits Times, Lat on sabbatical 1995.
  22. ^ Rohani 2005, p. 390.
  23. ^ Bissme 2009.
  24. ^ New Straits Times, Lat shares his thoughts 2020.
  25. ^ Pilcher & Brooks 2005, p. 125.
  26. ^ Ilham Gallery 2015.

Bibliography[edit]

Interviews/self-introspectives
  • Mohd Tajuddin Mohd Rasdi (17 March 2019). "Lat, his cartoons and appreciating our multiculturalism". The Borneo Post. Retrieved 26 May 2019.
  • Tan Mei Kuan (29 December 2020). "Interview with Lat: Kampung Boy and Beyond" (Interview). Ipoh Echo. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
News sources
Books
Academic sources
Journalistic sources
Online sites

External links[edit]

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