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 considet 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 peace.
The Jakarta Post – Monday, May 1, 2006
