Pramoedya Ananta Toer dead at 81

[tintin]

Pramoedya Ananta Toer is dead at 81.

This outstanding Indonesian, tireless defender of the democratic principles, prolific writer of novels, short stories, and especially of the history of Indonesia and of its people, finally left us today. I say “finally,” because it is some kind of a miracle that he had survived until his eighty first year, given the horrible treatments he received because of his ideas, first from the Dutch, and then from the Sukarno’s and Suharto’s Governments. He spent eleven years in exile, in appalling conditions, in the remote island of Buru, where he saw thousands of his fellow inmates die of starvation, disease, and maltreatment.

There are no questions that Pramoedya should have received the Nobel Prize in Literature. He had been on the short lists of candidates several times, and only unrelenting political pressures from certain quarters prevented him from getting this proper recognition.

His masterpiece the Buru Quartet, which until very recently was banned in Indonesia, is certainly one of the Twentieth Century greatest literary works. This is definitely a “must” on anybody’s reading list, even for those who are not especially interested in Indonesia per se.

 

[smusdar]

Omigod, indonesia lost of its biggest writer, and humanist..and not only Indonesia, but world lost of our great writer

Thanks Tintin for sharing this information, the last news i stil kept in touch is last friday, knowing he was in serious illness

as his novel is one of my favorite as i wrote on my profiles regarding him :
" Pramudya Ananta Toer ( I read my sister's book, and never realized I like the novels, untilI see the last page of it only an hour!! You will know Indonesian political history and culturel from it) "

I get in touch with his books and amazed by the way he shares and tells his story..when my sisters brought those books to home..

after reading his books, i dont understand why Indonesian goverment forbide his books to be read/ published in indonesia???

even the worse thing, Indonesian government labelled him as communist?

In my humble opinion, he merely tried to render a true fact on indonesian history, especially the "dark moment" in Indonesia history.

from his book i know the other side of Indonesian cultures, social-politic life, history that would not be met at school.

Pak Pram, I am proud that I have the opportunity to know your brilliant thought by reading your book.
May God bless you

 

[Dyah]

it´s very sad to hear about Pak Pram´s death. We have read about his healtysproblem in German Newspaper. He was here in Hamburg about 7 years ago to read his books, that are traduced in german too.

Yesss, we lost a big world-writter. My husband and i -we are big fans from him... and I have written about his books in our publication about world literature ... it´s fascinate to read his books ... all of his books, the new and the oldest.

Tintin, thanks for your information...

Dyah

 

[Unique]

Yes, one of the most talented writers of Indonesia had gone. We are never forgetting about his stunning collection as such as Bumi Manusia Tetralogy, Anak Semua Bangsa, Rumah Kaca, and Jejak Langkah! All the books are the best image of the young people who struggle into changing world from feudalism to capitalism era.

But surprisingly, he still has others manuscript: Soekarno di Mata Dunia and Dunia di Mata Soekarno. Maybe ASAP publisher will publish these manuscripts.

On condolence,

Unique

"Moral behavior is not irrational. The challenge is to define self-interest in a manner capacious enough to accommodate the real motives for people's choices. (Robert H. Frank)

 

[drbruce]

Thanks Tintin for the information. I didn't hear anything about this during the weekend. A brilliant writer, historian, and observer of Indonesia. His passing is a great loss to Indonesian and world literature.

 

[Roy]

Here is the article from today's edition of the Jakarta Post:

Pramoedya Ananta Toer dead at 81

JAKARTA (AP): Renowned Indonesian author Pramoedya Ananta Toer, who suffered from heart trouble and diabetes, died Sunday, a family member said. He was 81.

Pramoedya died at home, his daughter Tatiana Ananta said. "My father died peacefully at 8.55 a.m. He had dedicated his whole life to this country through his work. We all have lost a great father, a great author. I am very proud of him," she toldThe Associated Press.

An outspoken champion of democracy, Pramoedya was taken home Saturday after several days in the intensive care unit at St. Carolus Hospital in Jakarta.

Pramoedya, who spent several years in prison under successive regimes, was nominated several times for a Nobel Prize in literature and his 34 books and essays have been translated into 37 languages.

His best-known works - the Buru Quartet novels about Indonesia's independence struggle against the Dutch - were written on scraps of paper and surreptitiously smuggled out while he was imprisoned on the remote island of Buru.

Pramoedya was first jailed in 1947 by Dutch troops for being "anti-colonialist."

He was imprisoned again after Soeharto's militaryadministration took over in 1966, and spent 14 years without trial on the penal colony on Buru island, along with thousands of other opponents of the U.S.-backed regime.

Pramoedya, who has suffered health problems for years, was initially hospitalized Thursday with heart problems and complications from diabetes, said his son-in-law, Gunawan, who uses one name. (**)

 

[tintin]

When Pranoerdya was a prisoner on Buru Island, although being denied pen or paper, he still managed to compose his epic four-part novel, the Buru Quartet. To boost the morale of his fellow political prisoners, and also to give himself the courage to hang on, he recited the work in daily doses. Later on, as he was allowed to write in a limited way, his comrads assumed his labor duties so he could put his words in writing, and his work was smuggled out of Buru, bit by bit.

A most touching memoir of his time in captivity on Buru was published, in English, in 1999, titled The Mute's Soliloquy.

 

[Sanurian]

Nothing really to add that hasn't already been said in the above posts.

I have read many of his works in the past and always felt enriched as a result. Why he didn't receive a Nobel Prize is a mystery to me.

Vale Pak Pramoedya

You changed the way many people think about your beloved country.

 

[smusdar]

from a small village in central Java, namely Blora was born an outstanding writer..

As this subject has been also discussed in my senior high school mailing list, a friend of mine said that BURU KWARTET will be filmed. Can hardly waiting what it will be, will it as fascinate as his book?

And this another quotation from The Jakarta POst

> (From Jakarta Post)
> Rest in Peace, Pram
> The international literary community lost one of its
> most accomplished writers on Sunday, with the death
> of Pramoedya Ananta Toer. One of Indonesia's greatest
> writers, he was appreciated far more overseas than
> he was in his own country. In fact, no other Indonesian
> writer, past or present, is as well known abroad as
> Pram, as he was called by his friends.
>
> Many Indonesians, including those in the literary
> community, could not see beyond his politics, and
> thus failed to appreciate his work. It was his
> left-leaning politics that got him banished to the notorious
> Buru penitentiary island in Maluku, in the wake of the
> rise of the Soeharto military regime in the 1960s. In
> such confinement, he continued to write and create great
> (some would say even greater) works.
>
> During the Soeharto era, right up until the collapse
> of the regime in 1998, his books were automatically
> banned on publication, not so much because of their
> contents (the official censors would accuse him of
> exploiting class divisions), but rather simply
> because they were written by him.
>
> Outside of Indonesia, his works continued to win
> awards and recognition for their literary beauty and
> content. Year in and year out, he was suggested as a
> nominee for the Nobel literature prize. Perhaps the
> Nobel committee could see to it that the recognition
> be given to him posthumously.
>
> Many of his Indonesian literary peers never forgave
> him for his role in ostracizing artists and writers
> who did not conform to the dominant left-leaning
> ideology of the literary and artistic community in
> Soeharto's 1960s. The feeling appeared to be mutual.
> Pram never apologized for nor denied the part he was
> accused of playing. And he remained bitter to many
> of his fellow countrymen for the ill treatment he
> received over the years.
>
> But now that he is no longer with us, perhaps all
> Indonesians can find it in their hearts to forgive
> him and to acknowledge his accomplishments, especially
> his contribution to the enhancement of Indonesia's
> reputation in the literary world.
>
> No matter how much rancor he felt towards fellow
> Indonesians, and no matter how bitter some of us
> felt about his politics, he remained an Indonesian until
> his death. The government should consider honoring
> him for his contribution to the nation. Is it not tragic
> that he is recognized more abroad than at home?
>
> His death is a great loss to the literary world, and
> to Indonesia.
>
> May he rest in peace.
>