H.B. Jassin still a major literary force on his old age<\/p>\n
By Rita Sri Hastuti<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dressed in a brown long-sleeved batik shirt,
\npink sarong and with a black cap, Hans Bague Jassin came out of
\nhis room in a wheelchair to welcome guests to his house on Jl.
\nArimbi, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
He wanted to smile but at 82 he could not hide his fatigue.<\/p>\n
On Feb. 23, the Indonesian literature exponent launched his
\nlatest adaptation, Mimpi Buruk Sang Putri Raja (The Princess'
\nNightmare). It is the first volume of four in the series 1001
\nHari: Kisah-kisah Parsi (One Thousand and One Days: Persian
\nTales).<\/p>\n
During the event he remained seated with his head bowed,
\noccasionally coughing. His wife of 37 years, Juliko, and his
\nniece Rita sometimes wiped Jassin's face with a handkerchief.
\nWhen poet Taufik Ismail came to bring the new book to him, he
\nfound Jassin sound asleep. An employee of H.B. Jassin Literary
\nDocumentation Center said he could sit for only two hours.<\/p>\n
\"He has been working continuously for 50 years. And from his
\nhands Indonesian literary men were born,\" Taufik said.<\/p>\n
He knows Jassin as dedicated, consistent and indefatigable in
\nhis work.<\/p>\n
\"Every day Jassin spent time to read and write in a seated
\nposition for hours on end. He also noted down diligently and in
\nneat handwriting all events and conversations he came across.
\nAmong literary men he bears the nickname of a 'literary spy'.\"<\/p>\n
The manuscript of 1001 Hari: Kisah-kisah Parsi was sent to a
\npublishing house shortly after it was completed two years go. But
\nit lay idle there until another publisher, Mizan, agreed to
\npublish it, said Oyon Sofyan, secretary of the council of the
\nH.B. Jassin Documentation Foundation.<\/p>\n
Many people still remember Jassin's steadfastness when he was
\nderided for his translation Al Qur'an Bacaan Mulia (The Koran,
\nthe Noble Book) in 1978. Some queried his competence in
\ntranslating the Koran, doubting his knowledge of Islam and Arabic
\nlanguage skills. Jassin continued with his other controversial
\ntranslation, Al Qur'an Berwajah Puisi (The Koran in Poetry).<\/p>\n
According to Taufik Ismail, Jassin is never angered by
\ncriticism, even if the critics are much younger writers.<\/p>\n
They were not his first works to spark controversy. In 1971,
\nas editor of Sastra literary magazine, he was sentenced to
\nprobation for \"blasphemy\" for the story Langit Makin Mendung (The
\nSky Becomes More Cloudy), written by another writer under the pen
\nname Ki Pandji Kusmin.<\/p>\n
Hans, born on July 31, 1917, in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, was
\ncalled Jamadi at home although his real name is Hamzah. He
\nreceived a stern education from his father, Bague Mantu Jassin, a
\ncustoms employee.<\/p>\n
Jassin has acknowledged he inherited his writing talent and
\nlove of books from his father, who boasted a complete library at
\nhome and spoke Dutch fluently. Not surprisingly, his love of the
\nprinted word started when he was a child.<\/p>\n
He also inherited dedication from his grandfather Mantu
\nJassin, a merchant. In 1940 Hans started collecting modern
\nIndonesian literary documents. In 1976, with the support of then
\nJakarta governor Ali Sadikin, his collection was managed in a
\nmore professional way through the H.B. Jassin Literary
\nDocumentation Center, located at Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts
\nCenter, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
Jassin, who gained the nickname the \"pope\" of Indonesian
\nliterature, graduated from the University of Indonesia and
\nstudied at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, from 1958
\nto 1959. In 1975, he was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa (honorary
\nPhD) from the School of Literature, University of Indonesia.<\/p>\n
Jassin's closeness to literature started when he worked as an
\neditor for Mimbar Indonesia magazine in 1947, later moving to
\nZenith, Kisah and Sastra magazines. Among items stored at his
\ndocumentation center are original documents from his editing
\ndesk. Also on file is Jassin's correspondence with literary
\nfigures, replete with their photographs. The works of 1,500
\nliterary people have been collected in the center.<\/p>\n
Jassin himself was a productive writer. Among his works are
\nAngkatan 45 (1945 Generation), Kesusastraan Indonesia Modern
\ndalam Kritik dan Esei (Indonesian Modern Literature in Criticism
\nand Essays) and Sastra Indonesia sebagai Warga Sastra Dunia
\n(Indonesian Literature as a Member of World Literature). He also
\ntranslated Multatulli's Max Havelaar from Dutch.<\/p>\n
In 1993, he suffered a stroke. But he did not give up on his
\nwork. Although he frequently visited the hospital, he wrote Al
\nQur'an Berwajah Puisi. Despite criticism, the book was published
\nin 1997. He found the time to collect press clippings commenting
\non the controversy of the work and which he subsequently
\npublished in book form as Kontroversi Al Qur'an Berwajah Puisi
\n(Controversy on Koran in Poetry).<\/p>\n
Jassin started work on 1001 Hari after suffering a fourth
\nstroke in 1996.<\/p>\n
\"At the time we asked Pak Jassin what he was planning to do,\"
\nsaid Taufik Ismail. \"He said in a soft tone he wanted to
\ntranslate that work. We were ashamed. We younger literary men
\nwere only chatting while Pak Jassin continued to work. Moreover
\nPak Jassin said he would translate the work from Dutch, a work of
\n2,000 pages.\"<\/p>\n
At the same time, he was also translating Jalaluddin Rumi,
\nwhich he later passed on to writer Ali Audah, Percakapan Burung-
\nburung (Bird Talk) and Kasidah. Percakapan Burung-burung has yet
\nto be published and the translation of Kasidah remains unfinished
\nbecause Jassin gave up his work after suffering a fifth stroke in
\n1996.<\/p>\n
Since then, the smile often seen vying with the big birthmark
\nclose to the right side of his mouth has gradually faded.<\/p>\n
\"He is mostly silent,\" said Rita Jassin, the niece who assists
\nJassin at work and in daily life.<\/p>\n
Jassin spends his days mostly lying in bed. He cannot use his
\nhand to write. He formerly told Rita about his dreams when he
\nwoke up, but now he seldom talks. In the morning he still enjoys
\nthe sunshine as he sits in his wheelchair in front of his house,
\nbut he only looks around with an empty gaze.<\/p>",
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