Alberthiene Endah

Rr. Alberthiene Endah Kusumawardhani Sutoyo, better known as Alberthiene Endah, is a biographer, novelist, and journalist. She is known for her in-depth biographies of Indonesian celebrities, such as Chrisye and Krisdayanti. She has been called “the most sought after biographer in Indonesia.

Endah was born in Bandung, West Java, but grew up in Depok. She was interested in writing from a young age, and decided to become a journalist while in junior high school. Upon graduating senior high school she majored in Dutch literature at Universitas Indonesia.

Endah received her first job working for the magazine Hidup in 1993. In 1996, she started at the women’s magazine Femina. While working at Femina, Endah interviewed many people, among them Jennifer Lopez, Xanana Gusmão, and Krisdayanti, who asked her to write her biography. That biography was released in 2003 under the title Seribu Satu KD.

She also released her first novel, Don’t Give Me Drugs (Indonesian: Jangan Beri Aku Narkoba), in 2004. Don’t Give Me Drugs received an award from the Indonesian National Narcotics Agency for her “effort in combating drugs” and first place at the 2005 Adikarya Awards. In 2005, Don’t Give Me Drugs was adapted into the film The Last Second (Indonesian: Detik Terakhir).

Between May and November 2006, Endah worked on writing musician Chrisye’s biography while he was battling lung cancer. She has called it her “most special” work and Chrisye’s willingness to be interviewed “like a miracle.” In 2010 she announced that she was working on a biography of actress Luna Maya. Endah has stated that she plans on writing a full biography, not just about the star’s recent sex tape scandal.¹

1. Wikipedia ↩