Indonesian writers locked in battle with development<\/p>\n
By A.D. Donggo<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): A famous man of letters once said, \"Government
\nsupport of the arts is dreadful, for prosperous artists will
\nnever create a valuable piece of art.\"<\/p>\n
Leo Tolstoy made the remark, though it is still not quite
\nclear what was on his mind at the time.<\/p>\n
Tolstoy lived in the 1800s when Russian tsars were ruling the
\ncountry. He died in 1910, seven years after the government was
\ntoppled in a revolution in October 1917. Tolstoy was a prosperous
\nman. He owned many hectares of land in Yasnaya Polyana, east of
\nMoscow.<\/p>\n
In that region he built a home, which is now a museum. He
\nlived there, wrote there and was buried there in an anonymous
\ntomb. It was there that he created two monumental works, Anna
\nKarenina and War and Peace.<\/p>\n
Was Tolstoy a poor man when he wrote the now-famous books?
\nAlthough we cannot answer this question with complete confidence,
\na biography states that he was a man of affluence. The fact that
\nhe was rich must have been, more or less, the reason why he could
\ncreate his work in peace.<\/p>\n
So why did he make the above statement? Maybe at the time he
\nhad problems with the tsar, who may have limited the freedom of
\nwriters. Writers listen to their inner heart during the creative
\nprocess, not someone else's.<\/p>\n
Tolstoy's opinion has supporters and detractors. There is the
\nquestion of whether wealthy artists who enjoy government support
\nand other perks create worthy pieces. Most everyone, including
\nartists, likes to live in comfort, no matter what people say.<\/p>\n
I do not mean to be impudent by saying that an artist can only
\ncreate a masterpiece when he or she is hungry. Can an artist
\ncreate in peace and produce something good when the spouse or
\nchildren are begging for food? Some can, though it would be
\ndifficult.<\/p>\n
The uncertainty spawns another question: Do artists have to be
\nsupported by the government or any other party?<\/p>\n
Let us take a look at the following sample found in Umar
\nKayam's novel Para Priyayi (The Aristocrats). On page 5, Kayam
\nexplains which parties made the publication of his novel
\npossible: Gadjah Mada University, Yale University, the Ford
\nFoundation, the Henry Luce Foundation and Goenawan Mohammad.<\/p>\n
Based on his acknowledgement, it becomes clear that without
\ntheir support, Kayam could not have published his novel. We are
\ncertain that Kayam accepted the donations without any conditions,
\nbut if he had, what might have happened?<\/p>\n
Tolstoy might have worried that artists receiving government
\nsupport would have to create their art to satisfy and please
\ntheir benefactor.<\/p>\n
This problem is not new to Indonesian artists.<\/p>\n
The question, discussed by many, is whether Para Priyayi is a
\nquality piece. Quality is relative and often it is just a matter
\nof taste or the author in question.<\/p>\n
But promotion can also play a role. Para Priyayi was promoted
\ncontinuously and marketing may have played a decisive role in its
\nsuccess. This is representative of the present situation in
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
I bring up the matter because Kayam has not benefited
\nfinancially entirely from the support extended to him. Many have
\nthe impression that Para Priyayi was written in a rush. It has
\ntoo many problems and, they say, the novel should have been
\nwritten in three parts to give it more substance. It should have
\nstarted with history, which was only briefly mentioned in the
\nstory. But he did not.<\/p>\n
What about those writers who never receive financial support
\nor have rejected it? Is there any Indonesian artist who has never
\nreceived some form of support? I believe there are many, such as
\nChairil Anwar, Sitor Situmorang, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and maybe
\nY.B. Mangunwijaya. As far as I know, none has ever received
\nassistance from the government or any private party regarding the
\ncreation of their poems or novels, and none live in luxury. This
\nis especially true of Chairil Anwar, who was regarded by many as
\nnearly destitute, though he created great poems which are still
\nbeing read to this day. Chairil Anwar's works have become
\nimmortal.<\/p>\n
If we look at our own situation, mostly in the field of art
\nand culture, we have been locked into a constant battle with
\nrapid economic development. A greater part of the Indonesian
\nnation is enjoying the country's achievements.<\/p>\n
In a time of relative prosperity, many expect great works of
\nliterature and art to be produced. But we do not know if a better
\neconomic situation has weakened or improved the creativity of the
\nwriters.<\/p>\n
Some politicians feel that the current situation has created
\nan atmosphere that can kill human creativity, though I think it
\nis naive to blame the economy. However, we have to admit that no
\nwork of importance has been created in the last two decades.
\nCertainly not in literature. We don't know whether it is because
\nthe writers are ignorant or facing certain limitations.<\/p>\n
Some writers say that if they have to consider many aspects
\nsuch as economics and political circumstances, they will not be
\nable to create anything until the end of their life. It is an
\nextreme opinion, but how about one's inner heart? Artists usually
\nstand up for marginalized people and against injustice. But if
\nthe artists display these feelings explicitly in their work here,
\nsomeone is usually offended.<\/p>\n
An artist's position is often an uncomfortable one.<\/p>\n
The writer, a former journalist and editor, is now a freelance
\nwriter and novelist.<\/p>",
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