`Gendut' pens restlessness in works<\/p>\n
Emmy Fitri and Hygenius Hardoyo, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Shy, yet ingenuous is an apt way to describe journalist-cum-
\nauthor Herry "Gendut" Janarto.<\/p>\n
Gendut -- which means fat or stout in Javanese, as he is
\naffectionately called -- is so sensitive with what is going on
\naround him that he's often "provoked" just by seeing bitter or
\nironic events.<\/p>\n
"Sometimes I feel restless, like there's something disturbing
\nmy thoughts. The urge to write is so strong at these moments,"
\nsaid Gendut, a former English teacher.<\/p>\n
The youngest of seven siblings, Gendut, graduated from the
\nteacher's training institute IKIP Sanata Dharma in Yogyakarta in
\n1982. He then worked as an editor at PT Gaya Favorit Press
\n(Femina Group) from 1983 to 1990.<\/p>\n
He recently launched his book, entitled Sang Presiden (The
\nPresident), a collection of his 10 short stories. The fact that
\nthe book was reprinted twice in less than two months highlights
\nthe success of the book's release.<\/p>\n
Sang Presiden is not Gendut's first book. He has written
\nseveral others, most of which are biographies of celebrities,
\nformer government officials or business people.<\/p>\n
"For those kinds of books I really write them for the income,"
\nGendut quickly added.<\/p>\n
"Some others I write just because I want to build a
\nfriendship," he said, referring to his books which are not
\nproduced for commercial interests.<\/p>\n
The books are Teguh Srimulat, Berpacu dalam Komedi dan
\nMelodi (Teguh Srimulat, Races in Comedy and Melody), Bagito, Trio
\nPengusaha Tawa (Bagito, the Three Laughing Businessmen),
\n(Indonesia) and Teater Koma, Potret Tragedi dan Komedi Manusia
\n(Teater Koma, Portrait of Human Tragedy and Comedy).
\nIt seems that Sang Presiden was launched at just the right moment
\nas people are talking about a direct presidential election and
\nthe count down to the general election next year.<\/p>\n
But this story was not written with its release date in mind,
\nin fact the idea for this short story in fact came to Gendut out
\nof the blue. Gendut came up with the idea because of a phone call
\nhe made to musician Djaduk Ferianto's house and one of his
\nchildren picked up the phone. The boy said his dad was not home
\nand when Gendut asked for the boy's name, he was surprised when
\nthe boy said that he was Presiden.<\/p>\n
"I am President," Djaduk's son answered honestly. Gandut
\nremembers that the moment the boy mentioned his name he trembled
\nand felt something strange inside.<\/p>\n
"For days and weeks I felt uneasy and restless. I didn't know
\nwhat to write but I had to pour something out of my head," he
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Unlike the other nine short stories, Sang Presiden was never
\npublished in the media. It went directly to the 2002 Short
\nStories Competition held by the literature community Lingkaran
\nKomunikasi in Batu, Malang, East Java, and won a prize.<\/p>\n
Sang Presiden follows the life of Haryo Sungkono, known as
\nHaryo Timbil, who as a child develops a dream to become the
\npresident of the Republic of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Haryo nurtures his impossible dream into old age even though
\nhe never come close to realizing his goal. Despite the failure,
\nHaryo does not stop insisting that he wants to be the president,
\nand it is this blind persistence that is the major stumbling
\nblock in Haryo's life.<\/p>\n
One day, however, he manages to pass on his ideal to his
\ngrandson whom he names President.<\/p>\n
The short story highlights the futile situation of a human
\nbeing who is unable to escape his own fate despite his dedication
\nand hard work.<\/p>\n
Some people have said that this short story has something to
\ndo with politics, but while Gendut acknowledges that it deals
\nwith politics he said that it is not political in nature.<\/p>\n
Gendut, who admires authors Pramoedya Ananta Toer and Seno
\nGumira Ajidarma, has a typical writing style which is very down-
\nto-earth and rich in Javanese nuances.<\/p>\n
Gendut is very popular among young readers as he is a reporter
\nof Bobo children's magazine. He spends many of his days
\ninterviewing child stars and writing reports for children.<\/p>\n
Gendut, who has two daughters, admits that mingling with
\nchildren keeps him happy and feeling young.<\/p>\n
In the future, Gendut plans to write a novel. He is looking
\nforward to writing a "serious" novel with non-fictional touches.<\/p>\n
"What I want to create is something like Pramoedya's works.
\nI'm really impressed with that man. His works are so rich in data
\nand background. He's such a good archivist. He takes notes on
\neverything happening around him. He picks up things we sometimes
\njust ignore," Gendut said.<\/p>\n
Strong research, in-depth knowledge and background can be used
\nto enrich a novel, he stressed.<\/p>\n
To enrich his next project Gendut has started to compile
\ninteresting news and notes on what the trends are and what's
\nhappening around him.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/gendut-pens-restlessness-in-works-1447893297",
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