Srengenge (1973) is a very different kind of read. His No Harvest But a Thorn, again a story of Malaysian rice farmers, was one of the most intense reading experiences I've had for a very long time, one of the sort where I turned the pages with a cringing hesitancy because nearly every page brought new pain and suffering to characters whom I cared deeply about. These are the words 55 year old Awang Cik Teh lives by, a rice farmer in the second novel by the Malaysian author Shahnon Ahmad I've read. He did not contest in the 2004 general election which saw PAS losing that seat to BN. In the 1999 general election, he contested in the Parliamentary constituency of Sik (P.13) in which he won. Shahnon is also a member of opposition political party PAS. Some novels written by Shahnon include Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan (1966)-which has been adapted into a film called Rice People directed by Cambodian film director Rithy Panh, Rentong (1965), Srengenge (1973)-which won the Malaysian Novel of the Year in 1970, and Terdedah (1965). There were attempts by the government to ban this book and to strip Shahnon of his literary title. The book makes allegorical references to the ruling coalition government, Barisan Nasional (BN), its major component party, United Malays National Organisation (UMNO), and former Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir bin Mohamed. Shahnon has written a number books, one of the most notable being Shit PukiMak PM (1999), a controversial political satire. He is also a Professor Emeritus at Universiti Sains Malaysia in Penang. He was awarded with the National Literary Award in 1982. Dato' Haji Shahnon bin Ahmad (born 1933 in Sik, Kedah) is a Malaysian writer, a National Laureate, and a former Member of Parliament.
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