The History of a History: The Variant Versions of the Sulalat al-Salatin

Abstract

This essay details the variation that the text of the Sejarah Malay has taken over time, explicating the work that philologists have done to discern the original source. Chambert-Loir analyzes the many variants, compares them to one another, and separates what is text from what is commentary or addition, elucidating the evolution of the text alongside the scholarly commentary that always accompanies it.