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
Against the Grain
By Suwarsih Djojopuspito
Translated by George A. Fowler
The Mystical Path of Badrul Mustafa
By Heru Joni Putra
Translated by George A. Fowler
The Lontar Anthology of Indonesian Drama
Vol. 1 Plays for the Popular Stage (1890-1960)
AUTHOR OF THE MONTH
Basuki Gunawan was born in Banyumas, Central Java, 1929. During the Indonesian revolution, he joined the Student Army (Tentara Pelajar) to fight against the Dutch attempt to reinstate colonial rule. After hostilities ended in 1949 he was awarded a scholarship to study sociology in the Netherlands and travelled there in the early fifties as one of the first students from free Indonesia. During this period Gunawan wrote short stories and poetry in Indonesian, publishing them mostly in the magazine Konfrontasi. A bout of tuberculosis extended his stay in the Netherlands and it was during his stay in the Dutch Students’ Sanatorium in 1953 that he wrote Winarta in Dutch. The novella received an honorary mention in the prestigious Reina Prinsen Geerligs Prize for unpublished manuscripts and was serialized in the progressive literary magazine De Nieuwe Stem but it was not until 2022 that the novella was rediscovered and published to critical acclaim in the Netherlands.
After regaining his health and completing his studies, Gunawan planned to return to Indonesia, but the tumultuous events of the mid-sixties and the installation of the Suharto regime convinced him to continue his career at the University of Amsterdam, where he went on to publish several academic books. He died in 2014.
BOOK OF THE MONTH
Set during the Indonesian revolution, Winarta reflects the brutality of that period, but is also tinged with post-war existentialism and the search for purpose.
Winarta, an Indonesian medical student with artistic ambitions, is convalescing from a bout of TB when he receives news that his parents have been killed by the Dutch colonial forces. Initially he assumes that his parents must have been involved in the independence struggle and had risked their lives knowingly, but when he finds out that their cruel murders were a case of mistaken identity, he swears revenge and joins an anti-colonial militia. Winarta pursues his goal single-mindedly, gaining a reputation for fearlessness and brutality, but finds no satisfaction and discovers that he is too changed to go back to a life of peace. Instead he seeks death in a reckless raid on an enemy munitions depot. This leads to arrest and imprisonment and it is from his jail cell that Winarta tells the story of his parents, his decision, his relationships with women, and his disillusionment. The tone is factual, at times almost laconic, registering horrors with fatal detachment.
The novella reminds one of The Outsider by Albert Camus, but contrasts with that novel in that it is not an alienated colonist who is speaking here, but one of the colonized.
“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.
Novel Against the Grain karya Suwarsih Djojopuspito bukan hanya berbicara tentang dunia pergerakan, tetapi juga kehidupan rumah tangga kaum pergerakan, tarik-menarik antara dunia privat dan publik di masa yang penuh gejolak. Novel ini boleh disebut sebagai novel feminis pertama dalam sastra Indonesia.
Mari bergabung dalam peluncuran dan diskusi “Perempuan dan Pergerakan”.
Jumat, 23 Agustus 2024
19.00 WIB
Komunitas Utan Kayu
Jalan Utan Kayu Raya 68H,
Matraman, Jakarta Timur
Pembicara:
Dewi Widyastuti
Isyana Artharini
Moderator:
Dhianita Kusuma Pertiwi
Registrasi:
bit.ly/Against_The_Grain
Acara ini terbuka untuk umum, tempat terbatas, gratis dengan pendaftaran.
Terselenggara atas kerja sama Yayasan Lontar dan Komunitas Utan Kayu.
Didukung oleh Dana Indonesiana – Kemendikbudristek – LPDP
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