Muhammad Haji Salleh is Emeritus Professor at the Universiti Sains Malaysia. In Leiden he held the Chair of Malay Studies, while in Berkeley and Harvard he was an academic and research fellow. He was also a fellow at the University of Kyoto Center for Southeast Asian Studies. Muhammad is a poet and critic (in Malay and English), a scholar of old Malay texts and a translator. Among his more recent works are Kembara Mencari Sempadan (2019), Pantun: the Poetry of Passion, (2019), Sebuah Lembah Kunamakan Tanah Air (2019), Peribahasa Melayu: Pemeri Akal Budi (2019), Akal Budi Adikarya Sulalat al-Salatin (2019), Seeking Hang Tuah ( 2019), and The Genealogy of Kings (2020).