Keris Mas, born Kamaluddin Muhamad, was a prominent Malaysian literary figure and was one of the founders of the Asas '50 literary movement.
11 Facts About Keris Mas
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Keris Mas received his early education at the Malay School in his village, before going to the Tawalib school in Sumatra, and the Muallimin Al-Islamiah College.
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Keris Mas worked with several newspapers, such as the Melayu Raya, Warta Negara, and Utusan Melayu in Singapore.
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Keris Mas is credited with contributing a lot towards the development of Mastika magazine and Utusan Zaman, a Malay-language newspaper in Jawi script.
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Keris Mas joined the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in December 1956 as an editor, and his highest post, before his retirement on 10 June 1977, was as the head of the literary development section.
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Keris Mas's works are now contained in the following anthologies: Mekar dan Segar ; Dua Zaman ; Patah Tumbuh ; and Pertentangan.
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Keris Mas is the author of four novels: Pahlawan Rimba Malaya ; Korban Kesuciannya ; Anak Titiwangsa ; Saudagar Besar dari Kuala Lumpur ; and Rimba Harapan.
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Keris Mas's works are distinguished by their themes of addressing social injustice and strong and lively characters that resonate with the reader.
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Keris Mas was one of the 19 founding members of the movement, which includes Usman Awang, Abdul Samad Ismail, Masuri SN and others.
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Keris Mas died on 9 March 1992 from a heart attack at the Kuala Lumpur General Hospital, at 3am.
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Keris Mas was buried at the Bukit Kiara Muslim Cemetery, Kuala Lumpur.