INDONESIAN LITERATURE

Prepared by:
Sagum, Irene D.
Taruc, Maynard I.
Turla, Giezel

Submitted to: Mr. Arnold C. Simon

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTODUCTION………………………………………………………………………..............3
5 FAMOUS AUTHORS IN INDONESIAN LITERATURE………………………………....5
Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Buru Quartet……………………………………….……….6
Ayu Utami and Saman…………………………………………………………….………7
Andrea Hirata and The Rainbow Troops………………………………………………….8
Chairil Anwar and Aku……………………………………………………………………9
Amir Hamzah and Buah Rindu…………………………………………………..………10
10 NOTABLE INDONESIAN LITERARY WORKS……………………………………..…11
The Earth of Mankind………………………………………………………………..…..12
Beauty is a Wound………………………………………………………………….……13
Paper Boat……………………………………………………………………………..…14
Laskar Pelangi……………………………………………………………………………14
Ronggeng Dukul Paruk …………………………………..……………………………..17
Twilight in Djakarta……………………………………………………………………...17
Raden Mandasia: Si Pencuri Daging Sap………………………………………………..18
“Kill the radio”……………………………………………………………………...……20
Man Tiger……………………………………………………………………………..….21
Saman………………………………………………………………………………….....22

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Indonesian Literature

Literature has been one of the instruments to show human expression, love of art and
just stating or conveying those words and ideas that came to someone’s artistic minds. There’s a
variety of literature that has been published in today’s society and they all have uniqueness and
beauty that depends on the places, person, culture and country where they are created from. In
this specific topic, we will be focusing on “Indonesian Literature”, its background, different
characteristics, its importance, purpose and how their literature was unique from other countries.

“Indonesian literature grew together with the situation in Indonesia.” This statement
means that Indonesia’s political, cultural and economic situations have contributed a lot to
Indonesian literature. Not only is literature used to express the authors’ thoughts about something
or someone or an event, but it is also the media for Indonesians to express their feelings and
thoughts about their country. Some of the authors and poets also implicitly criticize the
government during their time for its policies. As a result, they have been imprisoned in remote
areas. Nevertheless, their spirit of writing literary work and non – literary work did not disappear
into thin air. Indonesians firstly knew literature from Malay literature such as syair, pantun, ,
hikayat, and . In this era, the literature tended to have rhymes in it. Then, literature developed
into a mixture of Arab and Hindi culture. During the Dutch colonization, Indonesia had the first
library called “Balai Pustaka ''. It was the time when novels and short stories were introduced to
society. The authors started to use metaphors which were the element of fiction to interact with
readers. However, during Japanese colonization, Balai Pustakawas closed. After Indonesia
gained its independence in 1945, Indonesian literature developed its genres and types into
magazines and books, such as poetry compilation. Romance-themed novels were also quite
popular in the 1980s as many Indonesian women authors had started to emerge. In the
reformation era, there were a lot of works of literature that discussed social and political issues.
Throughout the year Indonesian literature varies depending on each era.

The styles and characteristics of Indonesian literature change from time to time. They
sometimes follow the political dynamics of the country and the region. Indonesian literature, the
poetry and prose writings in Javanese, Malay, Sundanese, and other languages of the peoples of
Indonesia. They include works orally transmitted and then preserved in written form by the
Indonesian peoples, oral literature, and the modern literatures that began to emerge in the early
20th century as a result of Western influence. Many of the Indonesian songs, or poems, that were
orally transmitted by professional priest-singers embody traditions that have a religious function.
Indonesian orally transmitted prose forms are highly varied and include myths, animal stories
and “beast fables,” fairy tales, legends, puzzles and riddles, and anecdotes and adventure stories.
The divine heroes and epic animals of these tales show the influence of Indian literature and the
written literatures of other neighboring cultures. Written literature in Indonesia has been
preserved in the various languages of Sumatra (Acehnese, Batak, Rejang, Lampong, and Malay),
in the languages of Java (Sundanese and Madurese as well as Javanese), in Bali and Lombok,
and in the more important languages of South Celebes (Makassarese and Buginese). By far the
most important in both quantity and quality are the literatures in Javanese and Malay. Here are
also some list of famous writers in Indonesian literature namely, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Nuril
Basri, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Gratiagusti Chananya Rompas, Eka Kurniawan.

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 Above all the given information, one thing is for sure, literature remains its purpose
which is to entertain and to give aesthetic pleasure to all readers and listeners of it. The focus of
it is on the words themselves and on a conscious and deliberate arrangement of the words to
produce a pleasing or enriching effect. Indonesian Literature is important to all Indonesian
people because it allows them to step back in time and learn about life on Earth from the ones
who walked before them.

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5 Famous Authors in Indonesian
Literature

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 The most famous Indonesian writer, an economist
and historian Pramoedya Ananta Toer was born in the
Dutch East Indies in 1925. Toer was an Indonesian author
of novels, short stories, essays, polemics and histories of his
homeland and its people. Pramoedya's writings span many
years of Indonesian history, from when the country was
under Dutch Rule to the regimes of Sukarno and Suharto.
Like many Indonesian authors, some of Toer’s works were
banned when they went against the Indonesian government.
Because His work is known for infusing complex historical
and political themes from real-world events in Indonesia
during his lifetime. Moreover, Toer was also arrested and
incarcerated under Suharto’s regime. He was not allowed to
write while in prison, but he managed to develop his most
well-known series, Buru Quartet. The Quartet consists of
four historical fiction books that detail the history of
Indonesia during the time that Toer was growing up. Throughout his life, Toer won many
awards, including the PEN/Barbara Goldsmith Freedom to Write Award (1988), the Stitching
Wertheim Award (1992), the Ramon Magsaysay Award for Journalism, Literature, and Creative
Communication Arts (1995).

Buru Quartet
Pramoedya’s most
famous work, the Buru
Quartets, was published in
1996. It is a series of four
historical novels that deals
with life during oppressive
Dutch rule in 19th century
Indonesia. The novels are
“This Earth of Mankind”,
“Child of All Nations”,
“Footsteps” and “House of
Glass”. The books are available as Penguin paperbacks in the United States. Buru is an island in
the Moluccas, where Pramoedya was a prisoner.

Other works of Pramoedya Ananta Toer:

● All That Is Gone (Tjerita Dari Blora) 1952
● Keluarga Gerilya (The Gerilya Family)
● The Korupsi (The Corruption) 1954

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 Ayu Utami was born in Bogor near the Indonesian
capital of Jakarta in 1968 and graduated from college at the
Faculty of Literature, University of Indonesia. She is one of
the most prominent new generations of Indonesian writers.
Utami's works are novels, short-stories, and articles.
“Saman” is the first in a cycle of novels, the second part of
which was published in 2001 under the title “Larung.” Both
of her novels have been published in Dutch. In 1998
“Saman” was awarded the prize for best Indonesian novel
and widely considered as her masterpiece. With her debut
novel “Saman” (1998) Ayu Utami achieved more than just
her breakthrough as a writer and she is known as a novelist
since her winning novel titled Saman won a writing contest
at Saman Jakarta Arts Council in 1998– in her native
country the book was re-printed many times and was
celebrated as a literary sensation. By writing about sex and
politics, Utami addressed issues formerly forbidden to
Indonesian women, a change referred to as sastra . Utami’s
work has been translated into several languages and since 1998 has been co publisher of the
culture magazine “Kalam.”

Saman
A controversial Indonesian novel by
Ayu Utami published in 1998. It is Utami's
first novel, and depicts the lives of four
sexually-liberated female friends, and a former
Catholic priest, Saman, for whom the book is
named. This novel won the 1997 Jakarta Art
Institute novel writing contest, which led to its
publication and sold over 100,000 copies.

Other works of Ayu Utami:

● Novel Saman (1998)
● Novel Larung (2001)
● Novel Bilangan Fu (2008)
● Novel Lalita (2012)

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 Andrea Hirata is the biggest selling Indonesian
author of all time and best known for the 2005 novel Laskar
Pelangi ("The Rainbow Troops") and its sequels. Hirata
was born in Gantong, Belitong, East Sumatra, Indonesia and
graduated cum laude in economics from Universitas
Indonesia and received a European Union scholarship to
attend the Université Paris-Sorbonne and Sheffield Hallam
University. HIRATA has authored six books, including a
popular tetralogy. The first in the series, Laskar Pelangi
[The Rainbow Troops](2005), was a 2008 bestseller and was
adapted for the screen, followed by Sang Pemimpi [The
Dreamer] (2006), Edensor [Edensor] (2008), and Maryamah
Karpov [Maryamah Karpov] (2009). Hence, Andrea Hirata
has contributed significantly to the development of modern
Indonesian literature.

The Rainbow Troops

(Laskar Pelangi) the first novel by
Andrea Hirata. It has sold more than five
million copies in Indonesia, making him the
country’s best selling writer of all time, as
well as its first to enjoy truly international
success. His novel The Rainbow Troops
sold over 4 million copies in Indonesia
alone and was adapted into a movie that
broke box office records. It has been also
published or is forthcoming in twenty-three
countries and counting. He has written
three sequels to The Rainbow Troops: Sang
Pemimpi (The Dreamer), Edensor, and
Maryama Karpov. It is the story of an extraordinary group of students at Muhammadiyah
Elementary, on the Indonesian island of Belitung, where graduating from sixth grade is
considered a pinnacle achievement. As the narrator, Ikal, reflects on his boyhood, he brings to
life a band of heroic children—nicknamed the Rainbow Troops—who defy all odds. Now in
translation in twenty-three countries and counting, the book is captivating readers worldwide.

Other works of Andrea Hirata

● Sang Pemimpi (2006).
● Edensor (2007).
● Sebelas Patriot (2011).

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 Chairil Anwar was born and raised in Medan,
North Sumatra, before moving to Batavia with his mother in
1940, where he began to enter the local literary circles. Anwar
was a very talented Indonesian poet. He was among those
youngsters who pioneered in changing the traditional
Indonesian literature and modifying it on the lines of the newly
independent nation. He was successful in initiating a
transformation of the Indonesian literary scene through his
poems. Chairil Anwar was considered as the greatest literary
figure of Indonesia by American poet and translator, Burton
Raffel.
Apart from writing over 94 works, including 71 poems, he is
also credited for drafting a few prose pieces, which went
missing. In addition to this, he translated a number of poetry
and prose compositions. This literary figure became one of the
most celebrated Indonesian poets during the 1940s, through his
‘1945 Generation’ style of writing, incorporating
individualism, death, and existentialism with his everyday language, inspired largely by
European writers. He was rightly described as ‘the perfect poet’ by Dutch scholar of Indonesian
literature.

Aku
The poem "Aku" by Chairil Anwar is one of his
most famous poems and has been translated many times before.
The poem was written in 1943 and depicts the struggle of the
natives of Indonesia to achieve independence from their
colonizer.
It was written when Indonesia was suffering the merciless and
relentless Japanese fascist occupation (1941-1945), which left
the whole country far poorer than before. The poem seems to
represent the entire nation’s feeling of wanting independence.
The timebound interpretation certainly gives us a conclusion
that this poem is political.

Other works of Chairil Anwar

● Kepada Pelukis Affandi (To the Painter Affandi) 1946
● Kepada Peminta-Peminta (To a Beggar) June 1943
● Kepada Penyair Bohang (For the Poet Bohang")1945
● Kesabaran (Patience) April 1943

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 Amir Hamzah is the greatest Indonesian poet of his generation and National Hero of
Indonesia. He was Born into a Malay aristocratic family in the
Sultanate of Langkat in North

Sumatra, he was educated in both Sumatra and Java. Amir

began writing poetry while still a teenager: though his works
are undated, the earliest are thought to have been written when
he first traveled to Java. Drawing influences from his own
Malay culture and Islam, as well as from Christianity and
Eastern literature, Amir wrote 50 poems, 18 pieces of lyrical
prose, and numerous other works, including several
translations. Poems by Amir deal with the themes of love and
religion and his poetry often reflects a deep inner conflict.
Amir has been called the "King of the Poedjangga Baroe-era
Poets" and the only international-class Indonesian poet from
before the Indonesian National Revolution.

Buah Rindu is a 1941 poetry collection by Amir

Hamzah. The poems date to Amir's first years in Java,
between 1928 and 1935. Indonesian poet Amir Hamzah is
best known for his works such as Buah Rindu and Nyanyi
Sunyi. Apart from his poetry, he was also appreciated for his
contribution to the development of Indonesia’s national
language. He was named a National Hero of Indonesia. His
works merged Islamic mysticism with Malay literary
tradition.

Other works of Amir Hamzah

● Nyanyi Sunyi (1937)
● The Mountain of Flora
● Padamu Jua

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10 Notable Indonesian
Literary Works

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 This Earth of Mankind
This Earth of Mankind is the first among
Pramoedya Antata Toer’s series of Buru Quartet,
first published by Hasta Mitra in 1980. The story is set
at the end of the Dutch colonial rule and was written
while Pramoedya was imprisoned on the political
island prison of Buru in eastern Indonesia.
The main character and narrator of This Earth of
Mankind is a Javanese boy named Minke, an
aristocratic 18-year-old Javanese who lives in the
waning years of the Dutch rule in Indonesia. He was
enrolled in a prestigious Dutch school where he is the
only native Indonesian. However, his talent and self-
confidence made him a target of envy among his
European and Indo-European classmates. In another
storyline; he falls in love with the beautiful daughter
of a native Indonesian ‘concubine’. Their marriage
cannot be legalized, for she lacks the presence of a legal guardian.

This story tries to show the injustice and humiliation which Indonesians suffer just
because of their social standing and rights. Those who have European blood are said to be more
privileged and rank higher in society’s standards. Minke refuses to bow down to the status quo,
therefore making him the embodiment of Indonesian nationalism at a time of colonialism. This
Earth of Mankind is a classic and has been translated into numerous languages from Dutch,
Chinese, German, Swedish and more. This novel was made into an Indonesian language movie
and the production of this novel started in 2006 and the script was written by Armantono. The
movie was shown in Indonesian movie theaters in August 2019.

Summary
Minke is the protagonist of the story and he comes of age against the backdrop of a
colonial Java being ruled by the Dutch. Minke introduces himself and then launches into his
story. His story is essentially a love story. He sets the backdrop of his class and education, and
then moves into the first meeting of the Mellema family. The Mellema family consists of
daughter Annelies, son Robert, Mistress Nyai Ontosoroh, and Mr. Mellema. Minke is awestruck
by the beauty of Annelies at his first meeting. He gets to meet her because a classmate, Robert
Suurhof, invites him to come along.

Suurhof's goal is actually to humiliate Minke, but to Suurhof's surprise, Robert

Mellema grudgingly invites Minke into his home, and to his greater surprise, Annelies becomes
smitten with Minke and her mother also approves. Thus, Minke is brought into the Mellema
family's life, although he has doubts about them. He consults with his friend and business
partner, a French artist named Jean Marais, who advises him not to judge the family based on
preconceived notions, but rather to spend time getting to know the family and then make a
judgment call. Minke does this, and discovers that Nyai is self-educated, follows many European
customs, and runs a successful family business. He moves into the family home at her invitation,

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and develops a deep bond with Annelies, while Robert Mellema becomes increasingly jealous of
him. Minke continues his studies at school while living with Mellema, but one day gets taken
away by the police, without warning. The police take him to his father, who has arranged for the
police to bring him. His father has been promoted, and wants Minke to be the translator at his
ceremony. While staying with his family, Minke makes new friends of a governing official's
Dutch daughters.

Upon his return to Surabaya, Minke thinks he is being followed by a Chinese man. His
suspicions are confirmed when the Mellema family guard, Darsam, tells him that Robert has
ordered Darsam to kill Minke. Darsam is loyal only to Nyai, however, and as Nyai treats Minke
like a son, Darsam has sworn to protect him. Nonetheless, Minke decides he should live at his
boarding house for the time being. He returns to school and tries to concentrate on his studies.
Minke receives letters from Nyai imploring him to return to her home because of Annelies'
declining health. Eventually, Minke can no longer stay away and visits her. He is charged by the
family doctor with the task of nursing her back to health, for it seems that only his love will cure
Annelies. Thus he begins living with the Mellema's again.

He eventually marries Annelies, and shares much happiness with her for a few
months. However, the happiness is short-lived when Herman Mellema is discovered dead and
shortly after, his son Maurits takes the family to court to get the family business and have control
of Annelies' future. Minke, Nyai and their friends fight the courts, but are powerless to change
the decision. Annelies will be shipped to the Netherlands, and her marriage with Minke is ruled
invalid since she is not legitimate and it was not a Christian marriage or sanctioned by the
government. In the end, Nyai and Minke must watch her sail away, and thus the novel ends.

Beauty is a Wound
by Eka Kurniawan, who was also hailed as
the next Pramoedya Ananta Toer for his criticism
and commentary of the government and colonialism.
In this novel, and indo-Dutch woman named Dewi
Ayu is forced to be a prostitute against her will. She
gave birth to three beautiful girls. She worries that
her daughters will be forced into prostitution just as
she was, so she wished to have an ugly daughter as
her fourth child. Not only does this book tell the
story of Dewi Ayu and her four children, but it also
tells the story of what was happening in Indonesian
at that time. It is a combination of family history,
ghost story, political play, myths and adventures.
Communism, war and prostitution during that time
are also the underlying themes in this book. “Beauty is a wound” has been translated into
English, Japanese, Dutch, and many more.

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 Paper Boat
It is a novel by Dewi Lestari published by
Bentang Pustaka in 2009. This book tells of a
teenage boy who just graduated from high school for
six years living in Amsterdam with his grandmother.
Keenan has a very strong painting talent, and he has
no ideals other than to be a painter, but his agreement
with his father forced him to leave Amsterdam and
return to Indonesia for college. Keenan was enrolled
in Bandung, at the Faculty of Economics. On the
other hand, there is Kugy, a unique eccentric-looking
girl, who will also be enrolled at the same university
as Keenan. Since childhood, Kugy has been crazy
about fairy tales. Not only does he have a collection
and garden readings, he also likes to write fairy tales. The goal is only one: want to become a
fairy tale. But Kugy realized that the fairy tale is not a convincing profession and is easily
accepted by the environment. Not wanting to escape the world of writing, Kugy then continued
his studies at the Faculty of Letters. and this novel has been read and enjoyed by many people
especially from Makassar, Bandung, Jakarta, and others.

Laskar Pelangi
Laskar Pelangi is one of the most famous
modern Indonesian books by Andrea Hirata. It’s an
autobiographical story of his childhood, in which it
tells the story of Belitung children in Indonesia who
have high hopes of reaching their dreams.
Unfortunately, the school doesn’t even have proper
facilities for their pupils. Although they have many
obstacles coming their way, those kids become
amazing students because they have a very big spirit
to make their dreams come true. Moreover, "The
Rainbow Troops" of Indonesian film in 2008 was
adapted from the novel of Andrea Hirata ,
"Laskar Pelangi. The film follows a group of 10
students and their two inspirational teachers as they struggle with poverty and develop hopes for
the future in Gantong Village, located at Belitung. The film became a box office and critical
success, becoming one of the highest grossing in Indonesian box office history and the recipient
of a number of local and international awards.

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Characters of The Rainbow troops
Ikal- is the main character. Ikal is one of the members of ‘Laskar Pelangi’. He was a fairly
clever student but his intelligence was still below that of his friend Lintang.
Toprani- He is handsome, neat, perfectionist, quite smart, speaks as necessary ( quiet), polite,
very devoted to his parents and spoiled. He aspired to become a teacher in a remote area to
advance education.
Sahara- She is the only female student who attends SD Muhammadiyah. At school she is a
smart student. Although she is a caring person, she is the type of person who is temperamental,
skeptic, curt, hard to convince and not easily impressed.
A Kiong- A Kiong is the only Chinese student who attended Muhammadiyah Elementary
School. His nature is so innocent and always believes what Mahar says. He has been a supporter
as well as a loyal follower of Mahar. A Kiong has a high sense of friendship and likes to help
Mr. Harfan- The man whose full name is K. A Harfan Efendy Noor served as the head of
Muhammadiyah Elementary School. Together with Mrs. Muslimah, they maintained a school
that was almost closed due to a shortage of students.
Harun- Harun who has started to enter elementary school education at the age of 15 years old
has mental retardation. He is polite, quiet and has a cheap smile. He was always well dressed but
in class he couldn't catch any reading or writing lessons at all.
Kucai- He is one of the members of ‘Laskar Pelangi' who was appointed as the class leader. He
was frustrated when he became the class leader because of difficulties in managing his friends.
Even so, this man who suffered from nearsightedness was always elected class leader and in the
end he accepted the decision.
Lintang- He was the most genius and determined of his friends. Even though the distance of his
house from school is very far, he is still eager to go to school and be the morning boy who
comes. In school, Lintang is so serious about learning and being active. Lintang is very fond of
reading and studying various sciences.
Mahar- He has a talent in the field of art, be it singing, painting, fine arts and so on. His
thinking is imaginative and creative. This handsome child is one of those who love absurd tales.
Mrs. Muslimah- She is a teacher in Muhammadiyah Elementary School. She is very dedicated
to the world of education and with all her soul teaches students in Muhammadiyah Elementary
School.
Summary
Belitung is known for its richness in tin, making it one of Indonesia's richest islands,
though bureaucracy keeps its natives from enjoying it, turning most of them poor and some
unemployed; most men ended up working at the state-owned tin company PN Timah. Children
of poor households are stereotyped as having no future who will end up working there.

In 1974, SD Muhammadiyah Gantong, taught by Ms. Muslimah, Mr. Harfan, and Mr.
Bakri, awaits ten students as required by law. The school is small and poor, resulting in not
having a student for a long time. The first student is Lintang, a boy living in the coastal area
whose father is a fisherman, leaving him unschooled. Soon, more will join: Ikal, Mahar, Sahara,
A Kiong, Borek, Kucai, Syahdan, and Trapan. With only nine students, the school loses hope,
until the tenth student, Harun arrives. Five years later, the students have formed a strong bond.
One day, they see a rainbow forming, and Muslimah dubs the students "Laskar Pelangi" ("The
Rainbow Troops"). Through the Islam sessions, Harfan teaches them various lessons of

15
perseverance and humbleness. Zulkarnaen, Muhammadiyahl's assistant, expresses doubt over the
legacy of it after

The students graduate sixth grade, but Harfan insists, stating it is the only school around
that does not prioritize grades; such schools show a higher success rate in students. Mr. Mahmud,
a teacher at SD PN Timah, has unrequited love for Muslimah and frequently asks her to join his
school while belittling her school; Muslimah always rejects this. However it is regulated that
Muhammadiyah have their final exam at SD PN. During the succeeding holiday, the boys meet
Flo, an SD PN student who gives Mahar one of her National Geographic collections featuring the
Asmat tribe. Mahar, skillful in art, is assigned by Muslimah to form an idea for the Independence
Day carnival competition, and he proposes an Asmat-style dance. They were initially laughed at,
but later applauded and declared winner. Flo, with a thematic appreciation towards their dance,
decides to join Muhammadiyah. Since then, the students' grades have begun decreasing.

Meanwhile, Bakri reveals to Muslimah and Harfan that he accepted an offer to teach at
SD Negeri Bangka. When they confront him, he belittles the school; Muslimah and Harfan take
this as a god sent motivation to work harder. Muslimah observes Harfan's facial pallor. His wife
reveals to him that he refuses to follow her advice. A few days later, Muslimah finds him dead at
his desk. Grieving, she does not teach for five days, unannounced. Despite this, the students
continue learning by themselves and keep pushing each other to study, warming Muslimah's
heart and bringing her back to teaching. Some time later, a Gantong scholastic tournament was
announced. For Muhammadiyah, Mahar, Ikal, and Lintang participate. Thanks to Lintang's
arithmetic ability, they win. During the tournament day, however, his father goes fishing
impromptu, and dies while doing so. Having needed to take care of his two siblings, he
reluctantly announces to not be in the school anymore, and says goodbye one last time
.
In 1999, Belitung, heavily reliant on their tin industry, was severely affected by the
1980 tin crisis and PN Timah subsequently went bankrupt. Ikal visits his home and meets
Lintang, who now has a wife and smart daughter. Ikal reveals that he received a scholarship at
Sorbonne, Paris, his childhood dream city, inspired by an illustration given by former love
interest A Ling, who is A King's cousin.

It is also revealed that Mahar is now a novelist. Later at Sorbonne, Ikal sends Lintang
a letter with an Eiffel Tower illustration; he shows it to his daughter to motivate her.
The film ends with a quote from the 35th chapter of the Constitution of Indonesia: "Every citizen
has the right to get proper education."

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 Ronggeng Dukul Paruk
Ronggeng Dukul Paruk is a book which was
written by Ahmad Tohari. This novel is unique,
for it is divided into three parts. The first segment is
“Catatan Buat Emak”, the second segment is
“Lintang Kemukus Dini Hari”, and the third
segment is “Jantera Bianglala”.

It tells the story of a beautiful and charming

Ronggeng dancer who lives in Dukuh Paruk
village. At first, she is popular in her village and
even manages to seduce the officials. Even so, the
story takes a turn for the worst as the political
climate turns dire for the people in her village.
Although the story focuses on Srintil’s journey on becoming a ronggeng, the book also covers a
variety of issues. Some of the issues written in the book include prostitution, feminism,
communism and the heated political nature that Indonesia was having at that time. In particular,
the topic that most stood out was the issue of communism during President Suharto’s era. This
novel has been translated into many languages, such as Dutch, German, Japanese, English, and
so on.

Twilight in Djakarta
What sets this novel apart from the others
in this list, is that it was first published in
English in 1963 by Mochtar Lubis.
Indonesians could finally read it in their own
language in 1970. The story starts off with the
return of government official Suryono from
America. He was offered a fictional job
posting by his father, who was a party member
of one of the biggest parties in Jakarta. This
book then tells the story of the family in which
they became wealthy, to their downfall due to
the weakening of the party itself. Twilight in
Djakarta not only tells the story of a political
dynasty, but instead it was inspired by the
political situation in the Soekarno era. For that reason, it was not published in Indonesia first but
instead published in English since writings such as this would be banned in Indonesia. This novel
has been translated into many languages too, such as Japanese, Dutch, Melayu, Korean, Spanish,
and Italian.

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 Raden Mandasia: Si Pencuri
Daging Sap

Characters
The first and main character who has
hard work value of character education is Sungu
Lembu. Sungu Lembu was a prince from
Banjaran Waru kingdom, a little kingdom
which was colonized by the bigger kingdom
named Giliwengsi. Sungu Lembu wanted to take
revenge against the Giliwengsi‟s soldier who
killed his brother and aunty. Also, he wanted to
free the Banjaran Waru kingdom from
Giliwengsi‟s colonialism.
The second character is Raden Mandasia who is the son of Prabu Watugunung. He is one of
the princes of Giliwengsi Kingdom who wanted to cancel the war between Giliwengsi Kingdom
and Gerbang Agung Kingdom. He worked hard for his journey.
The third character is Loki Tua. Loki Tua is a very great cook. He had been prisoned in a
restaurant in Sifar because of his lost of bid. One day he was freed by Raden Mandasia and
Sungu Lembu. After that, he followed their journey to Gerbang Agung kingdom.
The fourth character is Prabu Watugunung. He was a king from Giliwengsi kingdom. He was
sacred and powerful king. It is shown by his effort in building Giliwengsi Kingdom and his war
against Gerbang Agung kingdom.
The fifth character is Nyai Manggis. Nyai Manggis was the owner of casino in Kelapa. Actually,
she came from Banjaran Waru and joined a secret organization which aimed to defeat Giliwengsi
kingdom.
The sixth character of this story is Banyak Wetan who is Sungu Lembu‟s uncle. He took care of
Sungu Lembu and raised him as well. Also, he taught Sungu Lembu about how to survive.
The seventh character is Barja who is Nyai Manggis‟ right hand. He also came from Banjaran
Waru and joined the same organization as Nyai Manggis.
The eighth character is Wulu Banyak. Wulu Banyak is the son of Banyak Wetan and Sungu
Lembu‟s cousin.
The ninth character is Jongkeng. Jongkeng is the crewman of the ship which is ridden by Raden
Mandasia and Sungu Lembu.
The tenth character is Resi Tama. He was a priest who was deeply in love with Dewi Sinta,
Prabu Watugunung‟s wife.
The eleventh character is Melur who is Sungu Lembu‟s wife.

Summary
It is not uncommon for us to enjoy adventure/fantasy books, but perhaps it’s pretty
hard to find the real gem here in Indonesia, much less the historical one with a grand journey and
multiple characters and truly enjoyable narrative that sucks the reader right up from the very first
page. Raden Mandasia Si Pencuri Daging Sapi by Yusi Avianto Pareanom is certainly such a

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one. Pareanom really has it in him to do just that: making his reader sit tight in their chair while
devouring his rich tale till the end. It wouldn’t be proper to call Raden Mandasia vastly
extravagant for its lack of thorough descriptions here and there, but it has its own charm that
strike almost everyone in awe. Long before embarking on a grand voyage to the barely heard of
yet widely famous for its ethereally beautiful princess Kingdom of Gerbang Agung, Sungu
Lembu has held a grudge against the Kingdom of Gilingwesi for what it did to his land and
family back in the past.

He’s sworn that he’d do anything to take his revenge on his prime enemy King
Watugunung, even if it seems so impossible. Hence the need for going on the long, unpredictable
journey in which he’s following Raden Mandasia, the twelfth prince of Gilingwesi with a rather
eccentric hobby of stealing beef whom he accidentally met in a gambling house, on the equally
impossible mission to stop an impending war. Together, they are going through an adventure that
both exciting and challenging yet sometimes inexplicably absurd: fighting pirates, bumping into
a Chinese man who cannot speak their language but insists on engaging them in conversation,
watching a holy messenger being swallowed by a monstrous whale, meeting a conceited cook
who has been serving roast pork to his master everyday for ten whole years, running from a
stormy wind in the desert as they lose their horses, entering the tightly guarded palace of a
princess in a eunuch’s skin (yes, skin), only to see their aim crumbling all around them along
with Gerbang Agung’s city wall the soldiers of Gilingwesi break down and the fall of dead
people from the sky. The result of the unavoidable war is so far from being decided. And, not
unlike the mission Raden Mandasia was carrying, Sungu Lembu’s heartfelt hatred is starting to
turn the different path. At a glimpse Raden Mandasia looks like an adventure story following two
young men who are making journey together with respective missions of their own, one to save a
kingdom and the other to destroy it in secret.

Others may look at it as an historical martial arts novel, since in some senses it quite
resembles those written by Jin Yong, with historical backgrounds strewed everywhere (albeit
very vaguely blurred), training and practice of martial arts being performed by the main
character, and fighting scenes littered so many parts of the book. But it might actually be an
historical fantasy fiction, a form of made-up tale set in the past complete with based-on-true-
tradition kingdoms, otherwise fictitious kings and queens, princes and princesses, wars, though
minus weird creatures, mystery or myth, and magic. It might be a blend of those three, however,
considering the so many various elements making up this wonderful, exciting, vulgarly funny
fictional creation. It’s so hard to decide what kind of book this actually is, but for sure it’s not an
out-and-out story of physical adventure, despite the writer’s insistence on throwing the
characters from one place to another, from one experience to another, from one out- of-this-
world event to another, from encountering one interesting person to another, etc. It’s a quest for
an answer, the true answer, to what is war and what is the act of revenge (or is it truly worth it),
to what is important and what will be in vain, what is true and what is false (much like the nature
of the tale itself) and where the thin line lies.

Yusi Avianto Pareanom has truly showed his writing prowess with Raden Mandasia,
its subplots are excellently and carefully structured, its characters are all gray but not without
conscience, the historical, cultural and geographical backgrounds are veiled ever so cleverly that
they leave the reader guessing: where is it? who is it? what is it? At some point in the story I

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found myself trying so hard to uncover where is it actually the Kingdom of Gerbang Agung until
I realized that it actually is the place I’ve been wanting to go to. From front to back Pareanom
presents a very neat storyline in which he takes upon himself to become both the narrator and the
protagonist, telling his tale precariously from the first person’s point of view, where he has to
relies upon encountering and listening to other characters’ stories to gather and arrange all
installments of the entire narrative.

It’s surely not an easy task for an author not to get caught in a trap of writing using
this kind of POV, but Pareanom nailed it. And he did it with hilarious tone and an unadorned,
vulgar style of telling that have readers staying in their seats while laughing and cursing just like
the narrator does. Raden Mandasia is an extensive work without being grueling nor boring,
complicated without being confusing, it’s a masterpiece without asking to be so. Such a shame,
however, that even with its strong climax and trying-to-be-epic battle scenes, its ending fails to
conclude the story elaborately and satisfyingly, seeming to run too fast instead. It is
understandable if the writer wanted to end it as briefly as possible without having to prolong it
anymore, but still. At the end, Raden Mandasia Si Pencuri Daging Sapi is a very rare work of
fiction. We might have had this kind of adventure tale somewhere in our contemporary period of
literature, but this novel by Yusi Avianto Pareanom is absolutely one of a kind. Despite its lack
of detailed descriptions of almost everything and fast-forward ending, it’s still an engrossing
book everyone can and should enjoy.

“Kill the radio”

by Dorothea Rosa Herliany
I thought it was Beethoven, .reaching out:
Silence had frozen around the door.
The embrace was perfect.
I was not asleep yet, but very tired.
I heard steps approaching,
They were too soft to be loneliness
The room was distant, sad: kilometers away a car
roared, half- way home.
Then the silence returned- the old silence, dancing
alone.
But it was not Beethoven.

Dorothea Rosa Herliany is one of the most

important contemporary poets writing in Indonesia.
This volume presents a selection of her recent verse in the original Bahasa Indonesian and in
English translation. Herliany is typical of the second generation of Indonesian writers which
emerged after the mid-1980s during the New Order of President Suharto. This newer generation
knew little of the colonial Dutch civilization and were a generation removed from the
revolutionary ardor of the foundation of the nation: to be 'Indonesian' was their natural right.

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They were born and educated in the regions outside of Jakarta and have chosen to remain there.
They were educated in the Indonesian language (usually to tertiary level) and the literature on
which they were raised was also written in Indonesian.

Kill the Radio contains a range of poems, many of them personal, with a decidedly
feminist edge to them, Others grow form Herliany's experience of, and concern for, an Indonesia
undergoing rapid social and political change during the last five years of the 1990s. Herliany's
writing reveals a struggle to understand human experience in all its reality not as an ideal but as a
fact that displays profound suffering and hurt, without, apparently, any hope of redemption…

Man Tiger
It tells the story of Margio and his family —
his father Komar bin Syueb and mother Nurhaeni, but
also his sister Mameh and the short-lived (only just
named) Marian. This story is intertwined with that of
the better-off family next door, the womanizing artist
Anwar Sadat and his three wayward daughters.

Summary
Margio, a young man living in a small town
on the southern coast of Java, has a female white tiger
inside him. This tiger, though it is central to the killing
with which Man Tiger begins and ends, otherwise
remains quiescent, and the novel is not magical realist
but grittily realistic. It tells the story of Margio and his
family — his father Komar bin Syueb and mother
Nurhaeni, but also his sister Mameh and the short-lived (only just named) Marian. This story is
intertwined with that of the better-off family next door, the womanizing artist Anwar Sadat and
his three wayward daughters.

Man Tiger ends where it begins, and in between jumps backwards and forwards
around the family history. This is skilfully done and is never confusing, despite the lack of any
formal structure supporting the shifts. It helps that the basic story is relatively simple and the
focus stays on the central characters. There are some lovely vignettes of other figures, and
glimpses into the history of the town and its patterns of land tenure and its social divisions, but
they remain as background. Margio's family is poor and lives on the edge of destitution, but that
is not its central problem.

Man Tiger is quite a dark novel, quite shockingly so in places: it chronicles the descent
of a marriage into domestic violence and rape, the aimlessness of disaffected youth, and the
shattering of young love. And it hardly ends with a rosy-looking future. But its mood manages to
be much more upbeat than that would suggest: it highlights moments of joy, of life lived and

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simple pleasures enjoyed. I found it hard to put down; it is one of the most memorable novels I
have read for quite some time.
Note: Man Tiger was published as Lelaki Harimau in 2004. This translation includes a brief
introduction by Benedict Anderson on Kurniawan's background (he did a PhD thesis on
Pramoedya Ananta Toer) and works.

Saman
Saman follows four sexually liberated
female friends: Yasmin, a married Catholic lawyer
from Medan; Cok, a Balinese lawyer with a high
libido; Shakuntala, a bisexual Catholic Javanese
dancer; and Laila, a Muslim Minangkabau journalist.

Saman is an Indonesian novel by Ayu

Utami published in 1998. It is Utami's first novel,
and depicts the lives of four sexually-liberated female
friends, and a former Catholic priest, Saman, for
whom the book is named. Written in seven to eight
months while Utami was unemployed, Saman sold
over 100,000 copies and ignited a new literary
movement known as sastra (originally used
pejoratively) that opened the doors to an influx of sexually-themed literary works by young
Indonesian women

Saman deals explicitly with themes of sexuality, taboo for women writers in Indonesia
at that time. She also writes about the supernatural and mysticism. Utami has said the stories
reflect some of her personal experiences, such as her loss of religion which mirrors that of the
priest, Saman. Utami also includes passages reflecting the destructiveness of Suharto's political
authoritarianism; in later interviews she said the political realities reflected in Saman are still
applicable to post-Suharto Indonesia.

Saman won the 1997 Jakarta Arts Council Novel Competition, which led to its
publication. Critical reception was mixed. Some critics praised the richness of its language, while
others derided the novel for its sexual explicitness and questioned whether it was Utami's own
work. The novel eventually was hailed for its groundbreaking portrayal of a woman's views of
sexuality. As of 2008, it has been translated into six languages and won several awards,
including the 2000 Prince Claus Award. A film adaptation is in the making.

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