'Here Come The Dogs' poet Omar Musa now a voice in verse

Powerful debut: Omar Musa’s Here Come The Dogs combines verse and prose to create an electrifying story.

Australian poet Omar Musa, born of Malaysian parents, is ready to set the publishing world ablaze with his debut novel.

Take a look at Australian-Malaysian poet and author Omar Musa’s hands, and you will notice a Malay phrase, in cursive script, tattooed on one of them. The words read penglipur lara. It’s a title usually conferred on the wandering storytellers of old Malaya, who wandered from kampung to kampung. To Omar, it is a title with deep meaning.