Putu Wijaya

I Gusti Ngurah Putu Wijaya, better known simply as Putu Wijaya, is an Indonesian author, considered by many to be one of Indonesia’s most prominent literary figures.

His output is impressive; his published works include more than thirty novels, forty dramas, a hundred short stories, and thousands of essays, articles, screenplays and television dramas, and he has been the recipient of a number of literary prizes.

Since 1971 he has led the Teater Mandiri, widely regarded as Indonesia’s foremost theater collective, where his philosophy of creating a tontonan (spectacle) helps to establish a dialogue between author and audience. The first play staged by Teater Mandiri was Aduh, which was performed at the Taman Ismail Marzuki performing arts center in 1973. Written by Putu in 1972, the play tells the story of how a group of people react to the intrusion of a stranger into their lives. The stranger is dying but instead of helping him they keep questioning him and arguing among themselves until, finally, he dies. In 2011, as part of its 40th anniversary celebration, Aduh was included in a trilogy staged by the Teater Mandiri. Presented under the title Trik (Trick), the three plays are all well-known works by Putu Wijaya: Apakah kita sudah merdeka? (Are we free yet?), Aduh and Setan (Devil). In 2010, his works took center stage when 28 of his monologues and four of his drama pieces were presented at the second Indonesian Theater Forum in Solo (Surakarta), Central Java.¹

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