Malkan Junaidi
the world of poetry feels like it's a ball over inflated to burst after the number of scandals that have emerged - poets prize -winning Christian Ward and David R. Morgan recently apologized for plagiarizing poems. Small publishers like salt poetry stopped publishing due to weak sales and some critics even attacked modern poetry, calling it bad and obscure.
Yet poetry jams are surging in popularity and the recent increase in online poetry magazines made things easier for artists to reach the heart of a player with their voice. So what actually happens? Does poetry bought and read by the poets? And things are otherwise in Indonesia? That's what I wanted to know. My first encounter with the poet Malkan Junaidi in 2012 at a conference and debate with the youth of the poet laureate Hagar Peeters Dutch and South African poet and actress Mbali Bloom in Malang, during the What -what poetry? International Festival in Indonesia. At the festival, poets from around the world and Indonesia have read their poems and encouraged students to reconnect with poetry.
As an expat with an interest in poetry, I wanted to ask Malkan Junaidi about the scene in Indonesia. Malkan, born and raised in the village of paddy-farming Blitar in East Java, has not always been a poet and stopped writing after the death of his father. "I wanted to live a simple life, which involved more muscles than brains - I inherited from my father a farmer's job. My divorce with symbolic poetry involved burning all the poems I had ever written. But being a poet seems to be my destiny. In 2005, I wrote again. "After 15 years of writing, his collection of 99 poems called Lidah Bulan (language of the Moon) was recently published.
The scene of the Indonesian edition also benefited Internet and many writers are turning to self or self-publishing editors, but Malkan a fair concern. "due to the ease of publishing a book by independent publishers (money is the key) many friends do outreach image politics citing testimonials and references to books published. "
So I asked myself, with so many books that flood the market, where was the best place to start reading a good Indonesian poetry?
"I think Indonesia with his young modern literary history has produced many poets whose works are worth reading "Malkan says." I'll mention a few names, not because I love them, but because, in general (and I agree), they had a significant effect on their own and next generation. " Here are eight of the recommendations of Malkan.
Chairil Anwar
1. Chairil Anwar is number one on the list. Although born in 1922, his legendary name continues to be talked about. Breaking with tradition, "he refused to write pantun, gurindam, seloka and other literary forms of his ancestors and replaced by other forms. - Crossing with Western influences such as W. H Auden "
2. Goenawan Mohamad, founder and editor of Tempo magazine," is a central figure in the movement axis of literature Jakarta. "
3. WS Rendra of "poetry is more popular than Goenawan Mohamad, and he was also a very charismatic character." He even founded a new kind of art of theater performance - Bengkel Teater - which was managed by his third wife Ken Zuraida after his death.
4. Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, "wanted to free the Ambitious poetry conventional devices and return to his form of mantra." Consequently, some of his poems adopt Imagist style.
5. Afrizal Malna, "An Indonesian postmodernist, which juxtaposes unconnected objects together, is a very influential figure in the last 20 years." His poetry reflects in English, perhaps because of its dependence on images and objects, rather than other poetic devices, which are more difficult to translate. Malna actively attends workshops and poetry readings -. He recently read Salihara Jakarta
6. Dorothea Rosa Herliany, born in 1963, is one of the few Indonesian women poets. She has produced more than 20 works of prose and poetry and has recently contributed to the What is poetry? festival.
7. Toeti Heraty, born in 1933, was a feminist thinker and great Indonesian poet.
8. Finally, Joko Pinurbo, which "explores the side that was not touched by many of his predecessors - the funny side. His poetry is simple, intriguing and contemplative "
WS Rendra" Perkemahan Kaum Urakan. "- Photo by Ruedi Hoffman 1971
"Perkemahan Kaum Urakan" WS Rendra - photo by Ruedi Hoffman 1971
poetry talks are a good way to discover various poetry and blues more on poetry and contemporary poet Widhyanto Muttaqien has hosted musical events - cafe and a bookstore, Kedai Sinau , will open next month in Bintaro, Jakarta, where he hopes to welcome back poetry camps are also frequently held across Java -. Rumah Seni Eloprogo , owned by artist Sony Santosa, recently hosted an event where the writer and poet Ervin Ruhlelana poet and performance Buyung Mentari made in the light of the full moon, on a stage erected near the river . Still, Malkan says that poetry gatherings like these are not new - "WS Will done Perkemahan Kaum Urakan (camp Mavericks) in Parangtritis, Yogyakarta, in the 1970s Urakan means to perform actions that could violate the law or social norms apply. We can call it anti-system. Make youth (he admitted) had a rebellious soul - proven by numerous bans and detentions convicted him. He was arrested, not to disrupt public order with a variety of urakan actions, but because he was considered a threat to the stability of the government. "
Yet Malkan has concerns about the modern preoccupation with productivity rather than creativity and poets Indonesians are often encouraged to write in Bahasa rather than their mother tongue (eg Javanese), which may have an impact on how they refine their voice. so how can we get people interested in poetry again? Gary Snyder once said that the poet was like a shaman, acting as a means for land and as Malkan says, "the most effective way to stay on track is to be true to your heart, and write poetry in my opinion is part of an effort to always hear and obey the words of the heart."