An approach often adopted in the study of modern Malay literature is to separate literary texts from the environment which produces them. Literature is seen as discrete, whose understanding calls for scrutiny of its structural elements only such as theme, technique, rhythm and the like. Context, is often peripheral to the study of literature. This paper, however, contends that both aspects are important and attempts to integrate them in its survey of modern Malay literary culture. It traces the socio-political changes which the country underwent from the period of British colonialism to the present nation state, and sees this historical context as an extra-textual factor which influenced the literature produced. No less important as a formative force are the literary conventions which writers inherit, how they adopt and adapt their literary heritage in the process of evolving a literary mode for their own situation and also their own unique role as they, as writers, influence the literary environment in which they operate. The survey also highlights writers' response to their immediate social realities and how this shapes and colours their perceptions of their society. Couched in literary expression, these perceptions draw attention to the prejudices, in short, the value orientations evident in modern Malay literary works. In discussing these factors, this study seeks to point out developments which take place as well as show continuity which persists in modern Malay literature.

The paper is organized into periods, not as an attempt at periodization of modern Malay literary history, but merely to facilitate understanding. However, the basic assumption remains that appreciation of specific historical and cultural bases is crucial for a clearer understanding of modern Malay literature on its own terms.