Dr Farish Noor ([#1]The national laureate's 'excreta' and 'vomit'[/#], Dec 9) has missed the point and is being terribly obscure. Cikgu Shahnon wanted to make an offensive point and a very explosive one.

The novels are meant to be political humour albeit plain crass layman tragi-comedy. If Dr Farish is indeed looking for Nobel laureate works, he will not find them in these books.

What the book intends is to offend and provoke in simple yet calculated ways. That is why you will find the synopsis or summary at the beginning because Cikgu knows most will only pry through the novels.

Many would just be content to know what it is about. It is after all a view of the worst in society and the language reflects this.

Cikgu could easily play the safe and easy path by maintaining his national laureate status (pomp and all) by another epic of Ranjau Sepanjang Jalan but he has chosen politics and he tries humour.

He speaks out against oppression and injustice by writing and by speeches. He has preferred to practise what he preaches. Dr Farish may be uneasy but Cikgu is still the respected intellectual who is accepted by the folk at large.

He is certainly no armchair writer who seems all eager to kiss up to the establishment. Dr Farish may criticise, but the books have served their purpose in painting oligarchy in its own shocking perspective.