Remembering Pramoedya Ananta Toer

Even though, we are English Department students, nobody can disallow us to read other books instead English book, right? As there are many Indonesian authors whose masterpieces are not less interesting and worth reading than the English ones, sometimes we prefer spending our time for reading them .

One of many famous novelists in Indonesia is Pramoedya Ananta Toer. He was one of many Indonesian novelists who had success story as novelist although his life was not as easy to be passed when struggling for his passion in producing high quality literature (novels )which sometimes brought some polemics up. He is my Indonesian favorite Book author. Raised by a father who had a profession as a teacher and a mother as a shopkeeper in Blora February 6^th of 1925, Pramoedya grew up and raised as an independent child by helping his parents selling “nasi bungkus” those days .

Ever since he was an adult, Prmoedya’s life was spent more in one prison to another prison due to his involvement into many kinds movements in the oppression era of Dutch. He also struggled for the liberation of expressing ideas that were always banned in old regime or we know as Soeharto’s era. the worse, he was ever sentenced as communist and getting involved into it. Because of there was no supporting evidence, he was released after 14 years arrested in many kinds of prisons. Moving from one prison to another was common thing for him. He was prohibited to speak up his ideas as his ideas could endanger the government at those time that nota-bene was swerved and influenced by communist regime.

Guess what? Some novels of Pramoedya were banned. Such as his novel titled “korupsi” that tells about a bureaucrat who was tempted to commit a corruption, making him in a friction with Soekarno (1^st president of Indonesia).this is why he was sent to the prison and his novel was banned . His “tetralogi pulau buru” was made as well in prison at “nusa kambangan”. He faced the hardest time at “nusa kambangan” because all of his novels were burnt by the authorities. So he needed to memorize all stories he had made and retold them to his friends .After being released, it was at same time in which “Orde Baru ended”. But, his freedom to, enlarge his creativity hadn’t began because he was still banned. Pramoedya could prove that prison that was well known as a stinker place could be used for resulting many great masterpieces. Almost all his novel was made while he was in prison during his arrestment time.

Nowadays, though he is no longer alive but his masterpieces still being remembered and appreciated. He made a big difference in Indonesian literature by achieving many international awards. Do you want to know some? Here they are:

• Freedom to Write Award From PEN American Center, AS, 1988
• Appreciation from The Fund for Free Expression, New York, AS, 1989
• Wertheim Award, "for his meritorious services to the struggle for emancipation of Indonesian people", From The Wertheim Fondation, Leiden, Belanda, 1995
• UNESCO Madanjeet Singh Prize, "in recognition of his outstanding contribution to the promotion of tolerance and non-violence" dari UNESCO, Perancis, 1996

Many awards he got but, remembering the space and the page are limited, you can directly visit www.wikipedia.com to know many awards he achieved during his life. You can also find several novels of Pramoedya in your nearest library. Our library is also having many series of his novel. I’ve once or twice borrowed It and you should do it.