Muhammad Dahlan Abdul Baing, or Andi Mohammad Dahlan Andi Buyung (July 30, 1925 - January 25, 2009), whose pseudonym was Arena Wati, was an award winning Malaysian writer. He was declared as the Malaysian National Laureate

Malaysian National Laureate

Malaysian National Laureate are individuals who were awarded the Laureate for their contributions to Malay literature.- List of recipients for the Malaysian National Laureate:# 1981 : Kamaludin Muhammad...

 in 1988. His writings were in the Malay language

Malay language

Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...

.

He was born in Jeneponto, Makassar

Makassar

Makassar, is the provincial capital of South Sulawesi, Indonesia, and the largest city on Sulawesi Island. From 1971 to 1999, the city was named Ujung Pandang, after a precolonial fort in the city, and the two names are often used interchangeably...

, Indonesia

Indonesia

Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...

. In 1943 at the age of 17, Arena Wato became a seaman. In 1954, Arena Wati became a journalist, and later served as the editor of Pustaka Antara.

He was married with six children. He died of lung cancer

Lung cancer

Lung cancer is a disease characterized by uncontrolled cell growth in tissues of the lung. If left untreated, this growth can spread beyond the lung in a process called metastasis into nearby tissue and, eventually, into other parts of the body. Most cancers that start in lung, known as primary...

.

Works

Arena Wati's works often focus on the struggles of the poor and the disadvantaged. His work "Sandera" is widely viewed as one of the finest Malaysian novels.

• Sandera
• Rontok (1980)
• Eno (1985),
• Syair Pangeran Syarif (1989),
• Syair Pangeran Syarif Hasyim Al-Qudsi (1989),
• Syair Perang Cina Di Monterado (1989),
• Burung Badai (1990),
• Turina (1991)
• Citra (1991).
• Memoir Arena Wati Enda Gulingku (1991),
• Ombak Samudera(1992),
• Meniti Kala (1993),
• Panrita (1993),
• Sudara (1994),
• Mevrouw Toga (1995),
• Begawan (1996),
• Koleksi Terpilih Arena Wati (1996),
• Sukma Angin (1999),
• Getar-Getir Maya Kumpulan Cerpen (2000),
• Trilogi Busa (2002).
• Armageddon (2004),
• Kutukan Dari Langit (2004),
• Langkah Pertama Kumpulan Cerpen Awal 1954-1959 (2004),
• 7 Tegak Bersama (2005),
• Warna Sukma Usia Muda (2005)
• Cakra Waruga (2006).

Awards

His numerous awards included: the South East Asia Literary award - the SEA Write Award, an award presented by the King of Thailand, and his 1988 investiture as the National Laureate.