Research key to producing quality literature.

THE key to conducting systematic literary researches and increasing the quantity of written masterpieces lies in the foundation and basic knowledge on researching itself, said a senior Language and Literature Bureau official yesterday.

Both readers and writers need to understand the language model, format of the literature and the content of the work requires the preparation of certain criteria in order for it to be prepared, said Hjh Aminah Hj Momin, director of Language and Literature Bureau.

"The success of the research depends on the approaches either primarily or secondarily," she said at the opening of a Malay literature research workshop.

"With the workshop, officers will be exposed to conducting systematic researches and increasing the amount of written researches," Hjh Aminah said, adding that the workshop acts as a foundation to the officers and local writers in the field of researching.

She said that the workshop was organised to improve the quality of published books, journals and magazines, as well as develop general writing quality in the form of researches.

She went on to say that even though the workshop was organised to focus on literary researches, the method however could be applied in areas on cultures and languages.

She also said that the workshop is a continued collaboration with Yayasan Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah in improving and studying the masterpieces of the late Sultan Hj Omar 'Ali Saifuddien, who was a prominent Islamic literary figure in the nation through his poetic works.

For the first time, the workshop is organised to focus on literature, where a number of previous workshops mostly focused on journalism.

Among the workshop's objectives were to raise the quality of researches in various genres and increase the quantity and quality of researched products.

It is also hoped that the workshop would encourage and develop systematic researches and writings in Brunei.

Some 44 officers are participating in the workshop at the Language and Literature Bureau, which will end tomorrow. Professor Dr Hj Mohd Sahlan Hj Mohd Saman of Universiti Brunei Darussalam is the facilitator of the workshop. Born in Malaysia, Professor Dr Hj Sahlan majored in Comparative Literature.