As one of the most prominent writers in Indonesia, Pramoedya Ananta Toer has been at the center of a number of valuable studies which carefully document his intellectual journey and his place in modern Indonesian cultural history.* 1 It has been generally agreed that the years between 1956 and 1959 … [Read more...]
Poetic Reaction to Political Excess: W.S. Rendra, Peacock and People’s Poet
August 12, 2018 by
The maxim, the pen is mightier than the sword, could be aptly applied to the works of W.S. Rendra. In the political context of 1960s and 1970s Indonesia, the focus era of this paper, oppression and corruption reigned. Rendra used his words to inform people and as a clarion call to oppose the New … [Read more...]
Revolutionary Stink and the Extension of the Tongue of the People: The Political Languages of Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Sukarno
August 10, 2018 by
"If one wanted to bring an Ubermensch to life in a prison, that is, a man free of good and evil, it would of course be futile" Sukarno, 1931 In Pramoedya's "My Cell Mate," the narrator's impression of his cell mate depends on their forced association. The story begins with the immediate … [Read more...]
Beholding a Landmark of Guilt: Pramoedya in the Early 1960s and the Current Regime*
August 10, 2018 by
In July 1995 the Ramon Magsaysay Foundation announced the decision to present its annual award to Indonesian writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer. Subsequently, in a protest statement delivered to Manila, twenty-six prominent Indonesian intellectuals expressed their opposition to the award decision, … [Read more...]
Seno Gumira Ajidarma and Fictional Resistance to an Authoritarian State in 1990s Indonesia
August 8, 2018 by
During the 1990s, Seno Gumira Ajidarma has emerged as perhaps the preeminent fiction writer of the Indonesian younger generation. He is certainly one of the most productive. Since 1993 he has published six collections of short stories, a highly experimental novel, and a collection of essays on … [Read more...]
