A Tribute to a Gentle Giant
The National Library is grieved to lose one of our long-serving librarians, Juffri Supa’at. His colleague for over 20 years, Senior Librarian Mazelan Anuar, remembers this gentle giant.
The Malay literary scene recently suffered a blow with the passing of Juffri Supa’at on 16 April 2024 at the age of 56. A poet and senior librarian with the National Library of Singapore, Juffri had a deep passion for Malay literature in Singapore. Juffri was more than just a poet and librarian though. He was also my friend.
“O Captain! My Captain!” is a line Juffri often used to quote from one of his favourite movies, Dead Poets Society. I suspect he saw a bit of Robin Williams in himself. Unfortunately, there is not even a bit of Ethan Hawke about me. Juffri and I were more like the “Tall and Small” Malay librarians from the National Library.
For over 20 years, people have always mentioned or asked me about Juffri. I am proud to be his sidekick, forever in the shadow of the gentle giant as many had described him. It will be upon his shoulders that the next generation of Singapore Malay literature enthusiasts, activists and researchers will stand as they continue to build on the documentation of Malay literature of Singapore that Captain Juffri had first chartered.
As a librarian, he contributed to Malay literary arts through the bibliographies of important literary figures. He worked on Bibliografi Masuri S. N. (1927–2005) which was published in 2008 before compiling and organising another three bibliographies covering the works of Abdul Ghani Hamid and Muhammad Ariff Ahmad. He also worked on the seminal Bibliografi Sastera Melayu Singapura (1965–2009) (Bibliography of Singapore Malay Literature (1965–2009)).
Recording the works by Singapore Malay pioneer writers and chronicling the development of Malay Literature in Singapore are unglamourous enterprises that only someone with deep knowledge, fantastic research skills, perseverance and enduring passion would be able to take on. That person could only be Juffri.
Juffri himself was an accomplished writer and a poet who had published Ilham Bebas Kurungan: Kumpulan Sajak, his second anthology of poems, earlier this year. His first anthology, published in 1999, was titled XXL: Anak Muda Julung Berkeris.
Juffri had always had an affinity for the written word. Since 1987, while still a Pre-U student, his writings were regularly featured in Berita Harian. He covered a broad range of topics such as Malay customs, education pathways for students and social welfare.
As an avid reader, he was asked to review books in Berita Harian’s weekly “Buku & Membaca” column. The newspaper also published his poems and these were well received. One of these poems, Hidayah,[1] won the Anugerah Saadon Ismail (Saadon Ismail Award) at the annual creative writing competition organised by Persatuan Wartawan Melayu (Malay Journalists Association) during the Malay Language Month campaign in 1993.[2]
Hidayah was subsequently adapted into a song by Zubir Abdullah and was included in the music album Senandung Puisi which was released in 1998. Do have a listen to the song as a reminder of the indelible mark Juffri has left in the hearts of those who know him:
To commemorate his life, the National Library Board and Majlis Bahasa (Malay Language Council) have organised a memorial event on Saturday, 11 May 2024. It will be held at 10am at the Imagination Room of the National Library Building. Apart from readings, the bilingual event will also feature tributes from friends and colleagues. If you wish to join us in remembering Juffri, please do sign up for the event.
Mazelan Anuar is a Senior Librarian with the National Library, Singapore. His research interests are in early Singapore Malay publications and digital librarianship. He manages the National Library’s Malay language collection as well as the NewspaperSG portal.
[1] Juffri Supa’at, “Hidayah,” Berita Harian, 22 August 1993, 7. (From NewspaperSG)
[2] Anugerah Saadon Ismail, “Sajak ‘Hidayah’ Pemenang Hadlah,” Berita Harian, 31 August 1993, 3. (From NewspaperSG)
