Pramoedya cherishes the simple life<\/p>\n
By I. Christianto<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): To be a modest farmer in a rural area where life
\nis far from being hectic has been a dream for the country's most
\ninternationally acclaimed writer, Pramoedya Ananta Toer. He has
\nbeen cultivating another suited field, harvesting valuable
\nreading material, which is edible for his fans and culture.<\/p>\n
"As a child, I wanted to be a farmer, a modest one, perhaps
\nowning a tractor. But this is my life now, living in a hectic
\nsituation in the capital. I can't write in this kind of
\nsituation. Everywhere I turn in my house, I just see the roof and
\nwalls. I plan to go to a rural area in Bojong Gede, where I have
\na secluded piece of property. I can enjoy the river and woods
\nthere. Perhaps I can write there," said the 75-year-old writer.<\/p>\n
Pramoedya has been writing since he was a young child at
\nelementary school. He said his father was a stern, tough man who
\nwas frequently undermining and humiliating him.<\/p>\n
"I grew up lacking in confidence and it took me ten years to
\ncomplete elementary school. I wrote as a way to get through it. I
\ncontinued to feel the same, lacking confidence, until I was 20,
\nparticularly when I met friends who achieved higher education or
\nspoke many foreign languages."<\/p>\n
He recalls that he gained confidence when he met a Dutch girl
\nwho liked him.<\/p>\n
"I wondered about that to myself when suddenly I gained
\nconfidence. This happened while I was in the Netherlands where I
\nhad a Dutch girlfriend. The Dutch were usually superior to most
\nIndonesians at that time, but for me, I could sleep with a Dutch
\nwoman. It was just sex. I did not know what love was, until now.
\nOn my return to Indonesia, I began speaking at seminars."<\/p>\n
Then he continued writing, but he never thought about it
\ncommercially.<\/p>\n
He said between 1942 and 1945 during the Japanese occupation,
\nno publishers were interested in publishing his writing,
\nincluding the poems, short stories or romance stories.<\/p>\n
"My first published work was Kerandji Bekasi in 1947. When I
\nwas jailed during the Dutch's first aggression in Indonesia, I
\nalso wrote. There was a library at the jail and everyone in hard
\nlabor got paid, so I could buy books. During the New Order regime
\nunder former president Soeharto, a prisoner would be found dead
\nduring the day after he was caught reading a piece of newspaper."<\/p>\n
Pramoedya spent 17 years in jail. In the last 10 years before
\nhis release in 1979, he was exiled to Buru island after he was
\naccused of communism. He wrote about the prison and prisoners in
\nthe Buru tetralogy, which comprises This Earth of Mankind, House
\nof Glass, Foot Steps and Child of All Nations. He also wrote
\nvarious fiction and nonfiction work, including The Mute's
\nSoliloquy and the Chronicle of the Indonesian Revolution.<\/p>\n
"Some 30 titles have been published. The books have also been
\ntranslated into some 30 languages, including Chinese, Turkish,
\nSpanish, French and Vietnamese."<\/p>\n
When Soeharto was in power, all his books were banned, and the
\nban remains in effect until today.<\/p>\n
Pramoedya said he does not have any hope or trust for the
\ncurrent government under President Abdurrahman Wahid.<\/p>\n
"Indonesia will remain like this just like hundreds of years
\nago. The country never tries to value its culture. The
\nintellectuals only lay down and live in hypocrisy. They live
\nagainst their own inner voices. The era of Soeharto, Habibie and
\nAbdurrahman have the same military, police and bureaucracy; the
\nNew Order system."<\/p>\n
He said during the New Order regime, he earned a living by
\nreceiving income from abroad.<\/p>\n
"It's strange, isn't it? As an Indonesian, I couldn't live in
\nmy own country. But life is somehow better now. Hasta Mitra, a
\npublishing firm, has started to republish my books. I will
\nreceive my honorarium once the books are published."<\/p>\n
He said the ban on his books was just the same as piracy.
\nPramoedya's pirated books are easily found with street vendors in
\nSenen, Central Jakarta.<\/p>\n
"Piracy is a crime and must be handled by the police. Although
\nI didn't have any idea that my books were being pirated, I think
\nthose who are pirating them are just the same as those who banned
\nmy books. The ban was an attempt to cut my life as I only write
\nto live," he said.<\/p>\n
"It's weird that although the ban still exists my books are on
\nthe street. This reflects on the government. The government does
\nnot have any character. It's robbery, just like the Army soldiers
\nwho burned my documents when they annexed my house in Rawamangun
\nor the soldier who wrecked my hearing."<\/p>\n
He said when his house was set on fire, he lost everything:
\nhis childhood pictures, books, documents and other antiques from
\nthe last century. "I wondered how they could do that.
\nFortunately, they did not have any time to read my diary," he
\njoked.<\/p>\n
The house in Rawamangun, East Jakarta, was seized in 1965 by
\nthe Army. Although he holds legal documents to it, his family has
\nalways failed to get the house back in court.<\/p>\n
Prize<\/p>\n
Pramoedya has received various international awards. Five
\nyears ago he was awarded the Magsaysay award. In September this
\nyear, he will receive a prize at the ceremony of the 11th Fukuoka
\nAsian Culture Prize. He has also been nominated as a Nobel
\nlaureate.<\/p>\n
"I do not have any ambition to be a Nobel winner or to win any
\nother awards. I just work and work. This includes writing or
\ndoing physical exercise, like gardening or burning my neighbors'
\nwaste."<\/p>\n
This year, he plans to publish his correspondence with his
\nfriend, the late professor Wertheim, and his columns in Lentera
\n-- a supplement in the defunct Bintang Timur newspaper during
\n1962 and 1965. He said the Cornell University would help him with
\nthe documents as he was unable to get them domestically.<\/p>\n
"I still have a lot of other texts and documents. I have to
\nselect them one by one to be published. My consideration is for
\ncultural improvement. Some of them are old letters or dairies
\nwhen I was very productive. I wrote so much after my release from
\nBuru. But now I have not begun to write again. I just do some
\nclippings and documentation."<\/p>\n
When he does write, he finishes without making any
\ncorrections.<\/p>\n
"I never rewrite anything I have written. My same mood and
\nframe of mind and spirit never return. That's why I also never
\ncorrect or reread my texts."<\/p>\n
About his books, he said he did not have any favorites. Each
\nof them was his product and has its own history. "They are the
\nchildren of my soul. People may condemn, appraise or harass them.
\nIt doesn't matter."<\/p>\n
He said his health was in its best condition to write.<\/p>\n
"Now I have some health problems, and I easily forget about
\nthings. I did not expect that about getting older," he joked.<\/p>\n
He does physical exercise every day and takes vitamin C
\nbecause he is a smoker. "I also do some breathing exercises as I
\nhave smoked since I was 17."<\/p>\n
Pramoedya has eight children, the youngest one is his only
\nson, 15 grandchildren and one great grandson. He said his
\nchildren had grown up in hard times and lived in fear for some 14
\nyears. "For me this is so dissatisfying."<\/p>\n
Do his children also write?<\/p>\n
"Talent is not inherited. My children are able to write, but
\ndue to the bad experience of their father, they are afraid to be
\nwriters. In one case, my children were threatened when I won the
\nMagsaysay award," Pramoedya said.<\/p>\n
"Writing is so enjoyable. I encourage my grandchildren to
\nwrite dairies. It's good for them to know how to use language and
\nhow to describe something."<\/p>\n
Pramoedya expressed his sadness about what is happening to
\nIndonesia.<\/p>\n
"The condition will get better with the role of the younger
\ngeneration. This is about character. They have to build better
\ncharacter, starting with themselves. That's why I always remember
\nwhat (first president) Soekarno said, 'nation building and
\ncharacter building'. He had a futuristic perspective, very
\noutstanding, but I don't understand why so many people always
\ncondemned him."<\/p>\n
Pramoedya believes character building must begin with self-
\ndrive. "There is no teacher for this. We have to start from the
\nfamily and home. This is about self-teaching and resurrecting.
\nThe intellectuals would have started this. I don't mean to ignore
\nthose who are successful in self-educating, but I'm just saying
\nthis in general. Indonesia is lagging behind. It's so sad."<\/p>\n
Pramoedya, who does not like the Internet, computers or
\ntelevision, said he likes having discussions with the younger
\ngeneration.<\/p>\n
"I like to chat with youths, and share ideas. But for myself,
\nI just want to be a simple man, just as my logic is."<\/p>",
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