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BORN TO WRITE, PRESTIGE January 2010
S.E.A. WRITE AWARD 2006
CULTURAL MEDALLION (LITERATURE) 2007
ANUGERAH TUN SERI LANANG 2009
A N J A K A N P A R A D I G M A
Diminta mengulas pemilihan Encik Isa itu, Setiausaha Parlimen Kanan (Pendidikan merangkap Ehwal Dalam Negeri) dan Timbalan Pengerusi Majlis Bahasa Melayu Singapura, Encik Masagos Zulkifli Masagos Mohamad, berkata ia merupakan titik anjakan paradigma dalam landskap penulisan sastera Melayu setempat.
“Kita sudah rasakan timbulnya golongan penulis sastera Melayu yang menonjolkan jati diri mereka sebagai masyarakat Melayu Singapura yang hidup di sebuah kota sibuk, yang mahu menjunjung agama dan adat, di samping mampu menguasai sains dan teknologi,” ujar Encik Masagos Zulkifli - Berita Minggu 8 November 09
K I S A H O R A N G S E L E T A R
Ah, kebetulan mungkin, saya kemudian membeli novel Rawa yang ditulis oleh Isa Kamari. Seorang Melayu yang tinggal di Singapura. Kita boleh merasai sendiri, rasa pedih kehilangan sesuatu yang kita sayang, yang membuluh dalam darah diambil orang. Kerana silap sendiri, kerana serakah penguasa.
Dari blog: Wadi Kita
Novel ini mengisahkan cerita seorang Rawa. Rawa anak Jati. Rawa anak Pungut. Rawa orang Seletar. Kaum asli Melayu. Ya, aku fikir begitulah. Sebab penulis menggambarkan Rawa sebagai tanah dan Rawa sebagai air. Ish..susah mahu terangkan, sebab aku bukan seorang penulis cerita klasik. Kagum dengan penulis. Tak tahu dari mana beliau dapat ilham sebegitu.
Novel Isa Kamari ini buat aku sayang untuk menghabiskannya dan dalam masa sama tidak sabar untuk merungkai misteri jalan cerita yang dicipta penulis. Tetapi, hmm..Isa Kamari mengakhiri cerita novel ini dengan tanda tanya yang tidak berjawab. Aku fikir penulis ingin menulis novel siri kedua pula selepas ini. Ya, aku harap. Aku mahu tahu jawapan kepada persoalan yang penulis gantungkan di akhir cerita. Novel yang bagus, berkualiti dan menginsafkan kamu kepada susur galur diri. Asal-asal diri. Firasat. Back to basic.
Dari blog: Parasitblog
Novel in berkisar tentang kisah kehidupan Rawa sebagai orang Seletar yang dibelenggu kisah silam dan sejarah lalu. Kisahnya ditulis di dalam dua plot yang berselang-seli dengan kehidupan lampau dan kehidupan moden zaman kini. Bahasanya ringkas, penulisannya padat, namun demikian terselit di dalamnya simbol cinta yang kukuh. Cinta pemuda kepada asal-usulnya (Rawa dan kaum Seletar), Cinta suami kepada isterinya (Rawa-Temah & Lamit-Kuntum), Cinta datuk kepada cucunya (Rawa dan Hassan), Cinta antara sahabat (Rawa dan Ayong) dan Cinta antara dua negara (Malaysia dan Singapura). Pulau Batu Puteh yang menjadi rebutan dua negara jiran itu juga dirumuskan secara simbolik di dalam novel ini. Pulau itu juga menyingkap satu rahsia, yang hanya diketahui Rawa. Dan Rawa jugalah jawapan kepada setiap persoalan. Rawa adalah rebutan, bak Pedra Branca yang mencetus pergolakan. Terlalu banyak fakta sejarah menarik di dalam novel ini. Selamat membaca!
Dari blog: The Survival of Life
INDONESIAN VERSION OF 'EMBRACE THE ECLIPSE' &
'IN THE NAME OF LOVE - THE NADRA TRAGEDY'
 
International Conference : The Novel & Its Borders
Centre for the Novel, University of Aberdeen, Scotland
8 July 08, 4:15 pm to 5:45 pm
Panel 17: Rewriting History and the Redistribution of Power
Catherine Gavin Room Chair: Jonathan Arac
Noraini Yusof, University Kebangsaan Malaysia
History into Fiction: Revisioning the Past in Isa Kamari’s Novel, Atas Nama Cinta
Liz Allen, Regent’s College
Women on the Move: The Representation of Human Trafficking in British Detective Fiction
Maria Jandyra Cavalcanti Cunha, University of Brazil
History and Fiction in The House of the Seven Women: An Analysis of a Brazilian Novel
 
Memeluk Gerhana:
Poignant coming-of-age tale, set in Singapura in the 1960s and 1970s. A trip down memory lane especially for those born and who grew up in these decades
- familiar songs, games, TV programmes
(how could one ever forget Combat!) of yesteryear, interspersed with key events in the lion city and the world. Great book to discuss issues and values. - Akwal from blog: Read
Saya tak mampu mengulas. Setakat ini, novel Isa Kamari ini merupakan paling dekat dan paling sedih yang pernah saya baca. Kesan emosi sungguh membekas. Kenangan dan cinta sememangnya tak boleh dipisahkan dengan manusia. Terima kasih Isa Kamari.
- Laxamana Tun Teja, Adelaide
Pengarang Isa Kamari bukanlah penulis asing dalam dunia sastera Nusantara. Kegigihan beliau telah mengurniakan Anugerah SEA Write Award tahun lalu bagi mewakili Singapura. Dan karya beliau yang terbaru ini Memeluk Gerhana adalah sebuah rakaman sosial Singapura sesudah bangkit dari Perang Dunia Kedua. Seakan-akan kita dihidangkan satu latar yang membekas hati, seakan-akan dunia Kampung Kambing dalam Salina karya SN A.Samad Said dipindahkan ke Kampung Tawakal. Sebuah novel politik yang amat menarik dengan sudut pandangan pertama menyebabkan kita rasa amat hampir. Mungkin ada bara yang kurang kita rasai dan kita fahami kerana kita tidak berada dalam lingkungan tetapi sebagai sebuah karya sastera seberang sempadan kita dapat menelan pedihnya. Apatah lagi saya berasa amat dekat dengan karya ini, kisah perjalanan menempuhi pelbagai gaya hidup yang disentakkan dengan satu Revolusi Islam tahun 1979 yang kita tahu amat menggegarkan seluruh dunia Islam. Di mana kita turut berkongsi percikan revolusi tersebut sehingga hari ini. Ikhlas dari hati, saudara Isa terima kasih kerana menulis karya seperti ini. Saudara, jelas sekali adalah sekutu saya dalam menjual Islam Insya Allah.
- Faisal Tehrani, Malaysia
Ada Apa Dengan Gerhana
Berjumpa Isa Kamari merupakan satu 'hidayah' dan ‘rahmat’ bagiku. Jika orang sedang mencari cahaya untuk membangunkan remaja. Nah.. kataku; tahukah kalian yang gerhana pun bisa membuka hati mereka. Bagaimana ya?. Peluklah 'Gerhana' itu. Mengapa meski mencari gerhana yang nista sedangkan cahaya itu petunjuknya. Sesungguhnya kalian belum mendengar bila
Isa Kamari ‘berhikmah’ dengan tintanya.
Memeluk Gerhana, karya Isa Kamari
Blog Aliff Mustakim
a couple of weeks ago, i laid my hands on yet another of isa kamari’s novel, Memeluk Gerhana. it was amazing, i tell you. i was moved to tears as i read the novel. i think he is a genius at capturing emotions and the different facets of daily life. it’s a story of love, of life and of coming of age
Blog justlike Yasmine
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ONE EARTH
Originally titled Satu Bumi in Malay, One Earth is the first English translation of Isa Kamari's prolific works. It is a tragic love story of a young Chinese girl adopted by a Malay family. Spanning the period from the Japanese Occupation to the attainment of independence in Singapore, the novel brings up issues of self-identity, rights, principles and personal choices.
- Ethos Books
One Earth was launched in Singapore in March 2008 and at the Melbourne Writers Festival on 23rd August 2008
Satu Bumi versi Mandarin
diterjemahkan oleh Chan Maw Woh
Diterbitkan: Nov. 1999, Cetakan Kedua: April, 2002.
Satu Bumi karya Isa Kamari merupakan sebuah buku serius yang memajukan lagi sastera Melayu Singapura dengan unsur-unsur yang segar dan membina. Dalam beberapa segi karya ini membebaskan diri dari acuan yang pada umumnya mengongkong sastera Melayu Singapura, baik dari segi bahasa, gaya, mahu pun perwatakan dan persoalan yang disasterakan. Satu Bumi boleh dianggap sebagai satu percubaan buat meluaskan bicara atau discourse sastera Melayu Singapura yang agak berjaya. - Dr. Shaharuddin Maaruf, Mantan Ketua Jabatan Pengajian Melayu, NUS.
Satu Bumi (One Earth) by Isa Kamari is a serious book which elevates Singapore Malay Literature with elements which are fresh and progressive. In many aspects this work has freed itself from the clutches which have restricted Singapore Malay Literature, either in terms of language, style, characterization and literary issues. Satu Bumi can be regarded as a successful attempt to widen the discussion and discourse in Singapore Malay Literature. - Dr. Shaharuddin Maaruf, Former Head, Malay Studies Department, NUS.
One Earth is a deeply insightful piece and puts the reader into the characters’ shoes, as they struggle to cope with the drastic changes in their lives. It offers an intimate look into their lives as the various characters either rise above their circumstances or fall into despondence.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about One Earth is its depiction of human nature. Set in such tumultuous times, both the best and the worst of humanity are shown.Words by Brian Lee, Hype volume 27, Aug-Oct 2008
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INTERCESSION
Isa Kamari is a Singaporean whose book "Intercession" (published in Malay as "Tawassul" and due out in English translation later this year) features a clone of the Prophet Muhammad.
The genesis of his book lay in the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Thinking about what could trigger such terror, he decided that the issue was history - that interpretations of the past were hindering the future. He wants his faith to be adaptive, inclusive and progressive, drawing on principles established in the past but made relevant to the present.
"That's why actually I created this character - the clone of the Prophet. In my story I put him in a community. Biologically he has all the traits of the Prophet but the question is, could historical man be repeated? I try to portray this person using experiences from the past and trying to adapt to the current situation," Isa said.
The question of why clones are O.K. but cartoons are not, referred to the controversy sparked by the publication in Denmark in 2005 of cartoons of the Prophet.
"The basic distinction is this," said Sardar. "The cartoons were commissioned, designed and produced both to ridicule, disparage and abuse not just the Prophet but the whole community. That kind of demonization undermines my humanity. The clone idea was a very specific idea to explore certain problems which are very deep problems within Islam using a literary device," he argued.
He said Muslims regard themselves as a historic community, but that this has become a kind of baggage.
"It is very, very important for us to understand and appreciate what aspects of the Prophet's life, who is supposed to be a model for us, are purely historic and should be left in history and what part of his examples are the examples that we should emulate and that will take us forward," said Sardar.
- International Herald Tribune,
14 March 2008
"Ziauddin Sardar's response towards the naughty comment that associated the essence of the main character in Tawassul with the cartoon designed by the malicious artist from Denmark was interesting and apt. I believe Tawassul will stirr the hearts and minds of the readers in their efforts to understand the socio-political onslaught on the Muslim ummah."
- Publisher, Al-Ameen.
I finished reading Intercession on the plane rides. It is gripping,..provocative stuff -- I loved the bold intellectual challenge implied by the stunning last chapter. It is a novel of powerful questions, not easy answers. - Alvin Pang, Editor, Intercession
There are many delicate layers to unpeel. Makes a Muslim reader feel that his knowledge of Islam is inadequate. Must have been a big achievement as an author, to have your work still talked about after 7 years, and Insyaallah for more than another 7 years. I'd be very happy if I can come out with even one novel of that calibre in 15 years. Well done! :) - Rumaizah Abu Bakar.
Impak luarbiasa! Tawassul membicarakan kerisauan kita tentang terlalu bersandar pada sejarah Islam dengan tidak memikirkan dan menelitinya secara mendalam. Ketika membacanya, semakin jelas, semakin mendalam, semakin mengghairahkan, semakin mendebarkan.
- Sasterawan Negara Malaysia, A. Samad Said
Pelancaran Kedua Tawassul, 12 April 08, PWTC, Kuala Lumpur
Bagi aku, pengarang ini memang sangat berani mengupas isu ini. Rasanya tidak terjangkau fikiran hendak hasilkan karya macam ini. Gaya penulisan dia pun best. Kadang-kadang simple dan mudah difahami, tetapi kadang-kadang ada penggunaan gaya bahasa sastera, yang kena fikir dalam-dalam baru faham.
- Blog Talk To A Soul
Sukar untuk mencari buku melayu yang mempunyai plot yang begitu unik dan membuka minda seperti buku ini. Kosa kata yang digunakan luas dan indah, namun mudah difahami oleh pembaca-pembaca sepertiku yang tidak pernah mendalami sastera Melayu. Jalan ceritanya dibuka sedikit demi sedikit, membuat pembaca tertanya-tanya, seperti sebuah novel misteri. Sebuah karya yang bermutu tinggi
- Goodreads, Exavidreader
Sebagai contoh lagi, saya melihat Tawassul karya Isa Kamari sebagai definisi karya sastera Islami yang sangat hebat. Gagasan pemikiran yang diketengahkan bergarda depan (avant garde) dan sangat membanggakan untuk dibawa ke peringkat antarabangsa serta diperkenalkan sebagai karya yang mencerminkan intelektualiti penulis beragama Islam yang bukan sahaja beramal dengan anutannya, tetapi peka terhadap permasalahan ummah.
- Blog: BECKYilHAM
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POETRY
A collection of 36 poems, in which the poet's priority is not in the quantity of the collection, but the quality of the compilation, the result of a very selective self-critical choice. The poet has the ability to transform a simple, everyday object to a main subject of life, forcing us to ask many questions in order to find solutions......In choice of words, the poet is very selective and economical while the verses and lines are lyrical and melodious. The poems are titled with not more than two words. They are catchy and witty, symbolizing the carefulness and characteristics of special creations. They provoke us to think, to read the whole poem earnestly and to discover the gems of
philosophy that lie buried deeply in the poems.
- Book Awards, National Book Development Council, Singapore, 1995
for Sumur Usia (Well of Time)
 
  
Munajat Sukma, menarik dan jauh beza dengan kumpulan awal Sumur Usia - satu perkembangan yang nampak berbanding kepenyairan lalu, kini lebih kreatif dengan apa yang lahir dari hati sukma, sudah sewajarnya kita harus keluar dari puisi tradisi Masuri SN / Usman Awang atau apa yang disebut gagasan asas '50'.Kini saya nampak Isa bebas untuk menegakkan pendirian sebagai penyair, tidak ada pengaruh penyair veteran, anda seorang individual penyair sejati yang tidak tunduk di bawah arahan kehendak masyarakat melalui buktinya Munajat Sukma, dalam kumpulan puisi ini anda bermuhasabah lebih dekat dengan diri anda sendiri.
- Penyair Sufi Johar Buang
Munajat Sukma (Soul Devotion) is interesting and different from the earlier collection, Sumur Usia - depicting a shift from past poetics, now it is more creative and direct from the soul, it is indeed apt that we depart from traditional poetry of Masuri S N / Usman Awang or what is known as the Asas '50 approach. Now I see Isa standing free as a poet, no influence from veteran poets, you are truly a poet who does not succumb to the dictates of society as proven by Munajat Sukma, in this collection you are introspective and closer to your inner self.
- Sufi Poet, Johar Buang.
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THEATRE, TV & DOCUMENTARY SCRIPTS
PINTU - This debut play from Isa Kamari shows plenty of promise, with the novelist and poet integrating many lyrical moments into an engaging, if at times esoteric play. Incantation serves as a particularly effective linguistic technique here. The title of the play for door, and the motif of doors - cramped complicated pathways leading towards all manner of things - recur in several interesting ways.
- Straits Times, 28 Dec 2006
Pintu won the Malay Literature Award 2007.
 
The two episodic TV dramas were a result of the collaboration between the production and creative teams from Singapore, Malaysia and Indonesia. Dua Wajah (Two Faces) was shortlisted for the Pesta Perdana Award 2001 by SURIA.
SIDANG BURUNG
(THE CONFERENCE OF THE BIRDS)
“..And to stir the mind, to search after what it fain would find, things that seem to be hid in words obscure, do but the godly mind the more allure, to study…” These words by great Sufi master Farid ud-Din Attar may be found in his classic work of poetry, Conference of the Birds. Since its creation centuries ago, it has been translated to many languages, pored over by Muslim and non-Muslim scholars and academics alike, and in the 70s, was adapted into a play by Peter Brook and Jean-Claude Carrière.
Now, experience it in its adaptation into the Malay language and in the form of theatre by local dramatic company Teater Ekamatra. Journey with us as the play depicts the passage of the human spirit in its quest for truth, through the pairing of elements of traditional Malay and regional theatre with those of contemporary theatre. Be immersed in parallel stories - one of travelling birds and another of an old man and his grandchild; one, innocent and naïve, in search of the meaning of everything, the other, in need of reconciliation with ghosts of the past… both, stories of searching and the eventual discovery that the King they seek is non other than themselves.
Presented by Teater Ekamatra, a non-profit theatre company dedicated to developing and producing socially relevant plays that reflect the contemporary Singaporean vernacular. Written by Isa Kamari, winner of the prestigious Southeast Asia Write Award in 2006 and Cultural Medallion Recipient for Literature in 2007. Directed by Sani Hussin, stage and television actor and director. Performed in Malay with English subtitles.
Naskhah cukup ringkas tetapi kaya nilai sasteranya. Lembut, tetapi mendalam. Struktur pentas kemas, berfungsi.
- Berita Harian 1 November 2008.
Sidang Burung doesn’t start off well. The actors playing the assembled birds are messily choreographed, parleying with each other about avian mysticism in long speeches which are as poetic as they are slow. Rather more intriguing is the naturalistic dialogue inter-cutting these scenes, between a man and his young (grand)son Farid as they visit Jurong Bird Park. It’s only when the birds begin their journey to visit the Simurgh, the sacred bird, that things get exciting: the chorus starts moving in aesthetically coordinated unison and discord, and the themes of the play’s two sections start coming together: ambition, vision, leadership and community; faith and imagination. And it all concludes quite beautifully, a complex weave of ideas punctuated with a few gemlike visuals...
Special credit must go here to the playwright, for his subtle interweaving of grand themes into this casual banter. Farid's childish ambitions to be king - or president, if kingship is unavailable - play off of the motif of leadership introduced by the appearance of the grandstanding hoopoe and his tales of a feathered monarch. In the same fashion, the hoopoe's mystic visions are paralleled by Farid's ability to see a mysterious bird keeper who's invisible to his grandfather. Even the seven valleys on the way to enlightenment are mirrored when the grandfather mentions a course on The Seven Habits of Highly Successful People. Everything that's epic, grandiose and poetic ends up strangely diminished in the human realm.
There's a crucial point to all this, made evident when the grandfather reveals the story behind the phantom bird keeper: the spirit of a good-hearted, simple-minded man who used to tend the birds back when the grandfather was in charge of the park. His name was Hud, but people nicknamed him "Hudhud" (Malay for "hoopoe"), and he was a fat man, so he was teased as "Si Gemuk" ("The Fat One" in Malay) or "Simuk". He had a pet white bird, which he believed was capable of speech, and died falling from a tree branch while attempting to reach the bird - though no-one at the time could see the bird there.
Against his various images of temporal power - kings, presidents and bird park bosses - Isa chooses a fool as the image of the true leader, the man whose identity most closely approximates that of the Simurgh as well as the hoopoe who guides us to that divinity. It's an idea that runs contrary to all our Singaporean ideals of meritocracy and rule by the elite, not actually drawn from the text of The Conference of the Birds yet completely harmonious with its Sufi philosophy which glorifies madmen and the act of losing the self...
My knowledge of Teater Ekamatra's oeuvre is limited, and this the first time our site is reviewing a show in Pesta Raya, the Esplanade's festival of Malay arts. Still, I think I can safely state that this play is out of the ordinary, principally because of its integration of naturalism into a work otherwise based in myth - a rather rare strategy in our theatre scene, so often inclined toward the surreal.
What's also important in this case is that the naturalism worked better than the myth, and helped to imbue its ideas with more complexity and relevance than if presented unadorned. It's not always the most dreamlike presentation that moves us most. Sometimes, the key to mysticism lies among the real.
Ng Yi-Sheng, Flying Inkpot
however, i think kesidang burungan is a huge good step in the Malay arts. a performance which wanted to bring meaning. i'm sure the play didn't start out to be portrayed as Islamic. and people might get confused. but i guess it will somehow open up people's minds, especially the mainstream people, the play is not too difficult to understand if you do away with the details and the original work of Attar. the physical movement, the little humours, the brief songs and musics, it will be stamped to the mainstream's minds, and tell them: Look! there is this sufistic islamic artwork known as the Conference of the birds, full of meaning and wise teachings, which you can apply to your life, read it and realise it. your love is for God.
well, i can say, i enjoyed ke-sidang burung-an and it has opened up my mind and create a critical channel in my thinking system. we definitely should have more of this genre in the arts scene.
From blog : Poetic Living
Theatre “Sidang Burung” in Esplanade generates a certain degree of deep-thinking and philosophy.for me, it’s like a poetry in motion, artistic and metaphorical.certainly not an easy play to interpret. only after looking at the whole pict (the brochure helped a bit!) did i realise what it was all about.
From blog: Knick-Knack
Persepsi yang bermain di mindaku adalah kerunsingan; Mampukah aku memahami jalan ceritanya kelak? Akankah aku mampu menghayati pendekatan fahaman sufi yang akan diketengahkan? Nyata sekali, persembahan ini telah diarah dengan begitu jelas, padat dan telah berjaya mengupas isu-isu berat yang ingin diperkatakan tanpa membingungkan audiensnya yang rata-ratanya mungkin tidak pernah pun terdengar tentang sajak-sajak Parsi Farid ud-Din Attar.
From blog: Gerobok Pandora
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