INDONESIAN

LITERATURE

Prepared by:
Daisy Jean O. Sab
MAEd-Teaching English
Location: Southeast Asian Archipelago
between the Indian Ocean and
the Pacific Ocean
 Indonesia has an estimated 17, 508
islands but only 6,000 islands are inhabited.
 It comprises 5 main islands: Sumatra,
Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Jawa and Papua.
Capital: Jakarta
 Indonesians are a mixed of Chinese,
European, Indian and Malay.
Diversity is a central feature of the
Indonesian Culture.
 Historical Overview
Early
History

China 15th-17th
Century
18th-19th
Indonesia Century
India Muslim

Europe Dutch

Middle
East
Periods of Indonesian Literature
1. Pujangga Lama: the "Literates of Olden Times"

2. Sastra Melayu Lama: "Older Malay Literature"

3. Angkatan Balai Pustaka: the "Generation of the

[Colonial] Office for Popular Literature" (from 1908)

4. Angkatan Pujangga Baru: the "New Literates" (1933)

5. Angkatan 1945: the "Generation of 1945"

Periods of Indonesian Literature
6. Angkatan 1950 - 1960-an: the "Generation of the
1950s"
7. Angkatan 1966 - 1970-an: the "Generation of
1966 into the 1970s"

8. Angkatan 1980-an: the "Decade of the 1980s"

9. Angkatan Reformasi: the post Suharto

"Reformation Period"
10. Angkatan 2000-an: the "Generation of 2000s"
 1. Pujangga Lama : the
"Literates of Olden Times"

• Pujangga lama or "the old poets" was

written before the 20th century
• A lively oral tradition using traditional
Malay-language literature
Genres
Traditional forms dominate in written poetry and
prose:
• syair (traditional narrative poetry)
Examples: Syair Bidasari
Syair Raja Siak
Syair Ken Tambuhan
Syair Raja Mambang Jauhari
• pantun (quatrains made up of two seemingly
disconnected couplets)
Example: Sejarah Melayu
Genres
• gurindam (brief aphorisms)
• hikayat (stories, fairy-tales, animal fables,
chronicles)
Examples: Hikayat andaken Penurat
Hikayat Bayan Budiman
Hikayat Kadirun
• babad (histories or chronicles)
Example: Sejarah Melayu
 2. Sastra Melayu Lama:
"Older Malay Literature"
• The works from this period were
predominantly popular among the people in
Sumatra,the Chinese and the Indo-
Europeans (1870-1942)
• The first works were dominated by syair,
hikayat and translations of western novels
Examples: Robinson Crusoe (translation)
Around the World in Eighty Days
(Mengelilingi Bumi dalam 80 hari) (translation)
 3. Angkatan Balai Pustaka: the
"Generation of the [Colonial] Office
for Popular Literature" (1908)
• National consciousness emerged among
educated Indonesians
• Balai Pustaka is a Dutch government-
supervised publisher
• Themes: forced marriages, adat (traditional
law), modernization and adventure
• Azab dan Sengsara (Torment and Misery) -
First Indonesian Novel written by Merari
Siregar
• Sitti Nurbaya - most popular of all Balai
Pustaka' s novels written by Marah Rusly

• In 1928, "Bahasa Indonesia" ("Indonesian

language") is proclaimed a National
Language
• "one people, one nation, one language".
4. Angkatan Pujangga Baru:
the "New Literates" (1933)
• National consciousness among young
Indonesian intellectuals was well-developed.
• Angkatan Pujangga Baru - first national
literary magazine was created
• Greatest Poets were:
Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana
Amir Hamzah
Armijn Pane
Sanusi Pane
• Characteristic:
- first literary periodical in the national
language
- occasionally included prose in English,
and more regularly and perhaps
understandably, prose and poetry in Dutch
- Beb Vuyk, an Indo-European author of
Dutch nationality but with strong nationalist
sympathies is one of the editors
• dominated by essays and poetry in the
modern vein
• Romanticism is evident in poems which
emphasizes individual emotions, nature &
mysticism.
Examples: Mengeluh ("Complaint")
Kematian Anak ("The Death of a Child")
Sawah ("Rice Fields")
Bintang ("Stars")
Do'a ("Prayer")
 5. Angkatan 1945:
the "Generation of 1945"
• dominated by the thoughts of
independence and political manner
• inspiration and leaders are:
Chairil Anwar – the great poet
Pramoedya Ananta Toer – most
prominent writer
 6. Angkatan 1950 - 1960-an: the
"Generation of the 1950s"

• characterised by the Kisah

magazine, established by H.
B. Jassin
• dominated by collections of
short stories and poetry
 7. Angkatan 1966 - 1970-an: the
"Generation of 1966 into the 1970s"

• rising the Horison magazine

led by Mochtar Lubis
• Dozens of writers previously
associated with Lekra or leftist
groups went into exile
overseas
• Telegram ( 1973 )
• Author: Putu Wijaya
• This fiction tells the story of
a Balinese journalist who live in
Jakarta and thinks that a telegram is
a bad omen.
 8. Angkatan 1980-an:
the "Decade of the 1980s"
• dominated by romance novel
• poets explored ideas such as
femininity
• Lupus – a popular story written by
Hilman Hariwijaya
9. Angkatan Reformasi: the post Suharto
"Reformation Period"

• And The War Is Over ( 1977 )

• Author: Ismail Marahimin
• Set in Indonesia following the Japanese
invasion, this book was awarded the Pegasus
Prize for Literature in 1984. Originally
titled Dan Perang Pun Usai,
 10. Angkatan 2000-an:
the "Generation of 2000s"
• Dewi Lestari (Dee Lestari) is one of the front
runners in the modern Indonesian book scene
• As an author, she has published nine books, including
the highly anticipated Supernova series.
– Supernova 1: Ksatria, Puteri dan Bintang
Jatuh (2001)
– Supernova 2: Akar (2002)
– Supernova 3: Petir (2004)
– Supernova 4: Partikel (2012)
– Supernova 5: Gelombang (2014)
• Eka Kurniawan
-first Indonesian writer nominated for the
Man Booker international prize for his
novel Man Tiger, translated by Labodalih
Sembiring.
- Man Tiger, with its main character
possessed by the spirit of a white tiger, has
elements that UK readers will most readily
recognise from Latin American magical
realism
• Ayu Utami
-Wrote the most talk about book
Saman
- dealt with subjects that until that
time had been taboo: political,
repression, prejudice towards the
Chinese, and premarital sex.
• Sastra Wangi: Indonesia's Sexy
Feminist Literary Movement
- Fragrant Literature
- First new trend in Indonesian
literature
- Other writers are: Dewi Lestari, Fira
Basuki and Djenar Maesa Ayu
• Raisa Affandi,
- just 11 years old when she
wrote her 1 Novel “Mimmi Bo
st

and the Missing Diary”

 • Cyber Literature
"Sastra Tong Sampah“
("dustbin literature")
 Literature is a Subversive Act.
It is a medium for change.
It promotes social responsibility and social consciousness.
 REFERENCES
Bascara, L. (2005).World Literature. Quezon
City: Rex Printing Company Inc.
History of Indonesian Literature. (n.d.) Retrieved June 30,
2018 from https://www.britannica.com/place/Indonesia/
Housing#ref988058
Rodil, et. al. (2014). Heritage of World Literature.
Mandaluyong City: Books atbp.Publishing Corp.
Sumardjo, J. (2001). Recent Writers in Indonesia.
(electronic resource). Indonesia: ABD