THE LONTAR FOUNDATION
We are an independent, not-for-profit organization based in Jakarta, Indonesia,
promoting Indonesian literature and culture through the translation of its literary works
Threads of Dignity
By Putu Oka Sukanta
Translated by keith Foulcher
IN MEMORIAM
Alan Steves in the 1970s
Alan M. Stevens (1935-2024) died Thursday, March 14 of cardiac arrest in New York City. He graduated from the Bronx High School of Science, where he won a citywide French competition. After graduating from Columbia University in 1956, he went on to a PhD in linguistics at Yale, specializing in phonology and Indonesian languages. His 1960 field work in Madurese started a long career of research, writing, and travel. In 1967, he co-founded the linguistics department at Queens College, CUNY; he taught there and at the CUNY Graduate Center for more than 35 years. With A. Edward Schmidgall-Tellings, he co-authored A Comprehensive Indonesian-English Dictionary, which is today the standard in its field. After retiring from academia in 2005, he devoted himself to Indonesian and Malay translating, interpreting, and consulting until his death.
Alan’s dictionary includes entries that are technical, non-standard, slang, bahasa gaul, and even those that are jorok. He always maintained that “you can never have too many dictionaries,” as sometimes a secondary definition would be included in one book, but not others. Or, the way a definition was worded in one book might be subtly different from others and spark a revelation in the researcher’s mind.
Every English-language translator of Indonesian is indebted to Alan.
Thanks to Roggie Cale for preparing this obituary.
“The Smiling Semar from America” (Semar Mesem dari Amerika) is a documentary film devoted to the life of Gregory John Churchill (1947-2022) and his love of Indonesian puppets. During his decades in Indonesia he collected more than 8,000 puppets from around Indonesia and other parts of the world.
The film was produced by the Lontar Foundation under the supervision of John H. McGlynn and directed by Eva Tobing.
George Quinn, profesor emeritus di Australian National University, adalah peneliti budaya Jawa dan Islam. Bukunya “Bandit Saints of Java” (2019) diterbitkan dalam terjemahan Indonesia berjudul “Wali Berandal Tanah Jawa” oleh KPG pada 2021. Tahun ini, Yayasan Lontar akan meluncurkan karya terbarunya, yaitu “She Wanted to be a Beauty Queen: Thirty Javanese Short Stories”, bunga rampai sastra Jawa kontemporer pertama dalam terjemahan Inggris.
Peluncuran buku “She Wanted to be a Beauty Queen: Thirty Javanese Short Stories” dan Temu Penulis-Penerjemah: George Quinn diselenggarakan pada:
Jumat, 6 Oktober 2023, 19.00 WIB
Komunitas Utan Kayu
Jalan Utan Kayu Raya 68-H, Matraman, Jakarta Timur.
Moderator: Nirwan Dewanto
Pembaca Naskah Jawa: Komunitas Tlatah Waktu
Acara ini merupakan kerjasama antara Yayasan Lontar, Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia dan Komunitas Utan Kayu.
Acara ini terbuka untuk umum dan gratis. Daftar di tautan berikut: bit.ly/TemuGeorgeQuinn
Sampai ketemu!
GALLERY
DONATE TO LONTAR
Address
Jalan Danau Laut Tawar A53
Bendhil, Jakarta Pusat 10210
Get Directions
OPEN Hours
Mon – Fri : 10am - 4pm
Sat - Sun : Closed
Contact Us
+62 21 5746880
contact@lontar.org