Tamar Jalis, the Most Famous Horror Writer from Beruas
Just mention the name Tamar Jalis, and horror fans will surely recognize him! Tamar Jalis is the pen name of a famous horror genre author in Malaysia.
He is famous for his writing in the 'Bercakap Dengan Jin' series. Tamar Jalis was born in Beruas, Perak, is 77 years old, and has now retired from writing. Previously, he was the editor-in-chief at a popular magazine publishing company in Malaysia. He is currently said to reside in Kota Damansara.
The 'Siri Bercakap Dengan Jin' novel was published in Variasari magazine from April 1981 until January 2005. For your information, this is the longest-running horror novel series in Malaysia, Southeast Asia, and internationally. In 1980, Variasari magazine reached a circulation of 120,000 copies per month, surpassing the Mastika magazine published by Utusan Melayu. He produced this novel from April 1985 to January 2005, spanning 23 years and 6 months. A study by Prof. Dr. Adnan Nawang estimates that the novel had over a million copies printed, though it was also widely pirated. The 'Bercakap Dengan Jin' series consists of 63 series, with volumes 222 to 284 from the magazine yet to be compiled into books. For your information, the 'Bercakap Dengan Jin' series tells stories of ghosts, spirits, and supernatural beings in Malay society. It highlights socio-cultural aspects, psychology, philosophy, traditional tips, traditional medicine, mysticism, religion, martial arts, spiritualism, local history, geography, hunting, and adventures in Tanah Melayu and Sumatra (Jambi, Kerinchi, Bangkahulu, and Aceh), as well as the expertise in subduing supernatural beings. The uniqueness of this novel is that it presents true or semi-true stories experienced by the author himself. Tamar Jalis also shared stories about the greatness of his grandfather, Kulup Muhamad Diah @ Long Mat Piah. It is said that the author wrote this novel at the request of his friend, Datuk Mustafa Ton, who was a publisher/writer for Variasari magazine. The Variasari office was located on Jalan Raja Alang, Kuala Lumpur. Mustafa Ton appointed Ahmad Mahmud as the Editor-in-Chief of Variapop Group, and as a way to increase distribution, the novel was commissioned and proved successful.
Tamar Jalis's real name is Ahmad Mahmud or Ahmad @ Mohd. Radzi Mahmud. He was born on September 13, 1940, in Kampung Batu 36, Jalan Sitiawan, Beruas, Perak. He attended the Technical Primary School in Ipoh, specializing in carpentry and construction. He then worked as a Junior Technician in a government department for three months in 1959, followed by a five-day stint as a railway laborer for KTMB. In early 1960, Ahmad Mahmud shifted to working as a manual laborer building power generators in Cameron Highlands. Upon moving to Kuala Lumpur, he pivoted to writing and was appointed as an editor for the Harian Watan newspaper from 1977 to 1979. He later served as an editor for magazines published by Penerbitan Adabi, such as Widya, Aktual, and Rintis in 1980. In 1981, Ahmad Mahmud was appointed as the Deputy Editor-in-Chief of the Variapop Sdn Bhd group, which published Variapop, Variasari, and Famili magazines. On August 26, 2018,
Tamar Jalis passed away
at 9:30 AM in Kota Damansara. The funeral prayer was held after the Zohor prayer at Surau Al-Falah, Section 6, Kota Damansara, and he was laid to rest at the Kota Damansara cemetery.
