Suratman Markasan

Suratman Markasan (29 December 1930 – 27 February 2024) was a Singaporean poet, novelist and literary pioneer. He was awarded the Cultural Medallion, the S.E.A. Write Award, the Anugerah Sasterawan Mastera and the Singapore Literature Prize.

Early life and education
Suratman was born in Singapore on 29 December 1930. He attended Malay schools in the 1940s. After graduating from secondary school, he was employed as a trainee teacher at the Sekolah Melayu Pasir Panjang. He then attended the Sultan Idris Training School in Perak, British Malaya, and graduated from the school with a teaching certificate in 1950.

Career
Suratman returned to Singapore after graduating from the Sultan Idris Training School and was employed at the Sekolah Melayu Teluk Blangah as a teacher. He also joined the Singapore Malay Teachers' Union and the Angkatan Sasterawan '50. In 1954, he wrote his first poem, Hati yang Kosong. In 1959, he published Mekar dan Segar, a poetry collection. His first novel, Tak Ada Jalan Keluar, was written in 1958 and published in 1962. He taught at Pasir Panjang Secondary School from January 1961 to December 1964. From January 1965 to June 1968, he taught at Swiss Cottage Secondary School. He enrolled in Nanyang University in 1968 and graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Malay and Indonesian Studies in 1971. From 1970 to 1976, he served as the vice-president of the Singapore Malay Teachers' Union. From 1971 to 1973, he served as the editor of the Majalah Sasterawan, which was published by Angkatan Sasterawan '50. From July 1976 to December 1979, he served as a language and literature consultant at the Ministry of Education. In 1979, he published Antologi Mata Hari Kota, a compilation of short stories and poems. He was a member of the Society of Singapore Writers from 1976 to 1979. From 1976 to 1980, he served as a Special Inspector of Schools. In 1977, he published Persidangan Penulis ASEAN 1977, a collection of poetry. From 1979 to 1985, he served as the chairman of the Literature Prize Committee of Majlis Pusat Singapura. He also served as the chairman of the organisation's Language and Literary Department.

In 1980, he was appointed Director for Malay and Tamil Studies at the Ministry of Education. From 1981 to 1985, he was employed at the National Institute of Education as a full-time lecturer. He continued to serve as a part-time lecturer at the institution from 1985 to 1995. In the same year, he published the poetry collections Puisi Temasek and Puisi-Puisi Nusantara, was appointed the chairman of the Language and Literature Committee of Majlis Pusat Singapura, a role which he held until 1986, and became both a member of the Executive Committee and the chairman of the Information and Publishing Department of Yayasan MENDAKI, roles which he held until 1987. In 1982, he published Gerak dan Dialog, an anthology of short stories. From 1982 to 1984, he served as the chairman of the Singapore Malay Teachers' Union, and was a committee member of the Malay Language Council. He published the poetry collections Gema Temasik and Bahasa dan Sastera Nusantara: Sejarah dan Masa Depannya in 1983 and 1984 respectively. From April 1984 to 1988, he served as the editor of the Majalah Sekata, which was published by the Malay Language Council. From 1985 to 1987, he served as the deputy president of Majlis Pusat Singapura and Angkatan Sasterawan '50. He also served as the editor of the Warita Suara, which was published by Yayasan MENDAKI. In 1986, he published Jalan Permulaan, another compilation of short stories and poems. From 1986 to 1988, he served as the Pro tem President of the Malay Language Teachers Association. In 1987, he published the poetry collections Tiga Warna Bertemu and Temasik. From 1988 to 1989, he served as a committee member of the Malay Language Teachers Association.

In 1989, Suratman was awarded the S.E.A. Write Award. In the same year, he published his second novel, Subuh Hilang Senja. From 1989 to 1991, he served as a committee member of the World Congress of Poets for South East Asia. From 1989 to 1992, he served as the editor of the Warita Muis, which was published by Majlis Ugama Islam Singapura. In 1991, he became the first Singaporean writer to serve as a guest writer for the Dewan Bahasa dan Pustaka in Malaysia. In the same year, he published another short story anthology, Perempuan Kedung Hitam, and another poetry collection, Cerpen-Cerpen Nusantara Mutakhir, as well as a collection of poetry, titled Terminal Terakhir. In 1992, he published Dari Jalan Permulaan Ke Dua Jalur Kritik Sosial, another compilation of short stories and poems. In 1993, he published another collection of poetry, Portret Isteri Yang Hilang. From 1993 to 1995, he served as the editor of the Ikhwan Darussalam, which was published by the Masjid Darussalam. In 1995, his third novel, Tiga Lelaki, was published. In the same year, he published the short story collection Pertemuan Kedua. His fourth novel, Di Bumi Mana, was published in 1994. In 1997, he was awarded the Montblanc-NUS Centre for the Arts Award. In the same year, he published the short story collection Stories From Southeast Asia. In 1998, his fourth novel, Penghulu yang Hilang Segala-galanya, was published. From 1998 to 2000, he served as the editor of the Khalifah Muda, which was published by the Masjid Darussalam and PERDAUS. In 1999, he was awarded the Tun Sri Lanang Literary Award and the Nusantara Literary Award. In 2000, he published the short story collection Kembali Kepada Al-Quran and the poetry collection Pengucapan Puisi Dunia Kuala Lumpur 2000.

In 2002, Suratman published Balada Suluh Budiman, a collection of poetry, and received the Anugerah Tokoh Pujangga award from the Sultan Idris Education University in Malaysia. In 2003, he published Anak Bumi, a short story collection, and Citra Minda, an essay collection. In 2004, he published Puisi Luka dan Puisi Duka, a collection of poetry. In 2007, he published Langau Menyerang Masjid dan Cerita-cerita Lainnya, a short story collection. In 2010, he was awarded the Cultural Medallion. In the same year, he published Puisi-puisi Perjalanan, a collection of poetry. In 2011, his novel, Dunia Bukan Kita Punya, was published. In 2014, he was awarded the Anugerah Sasterawan Mastera.

In 2022, he and historian Wang Gungwu became the oldest recipients of the Singapore Literature Prize.

Personal life and death
Suratman Markasan was married. His wife died in 1980, and he himself died on 27 February 2024, at the age of 93.