'Arok Dedes': An engaging way to tell history

'Arok Dedes': An engaging way to tell history

Arok Dedes
By Pramoedya Ananta Toer
Hasta Mitra, Jakarta, December 1999
418 pages
Rp 35,000.

JAKARTA (JP): One of the most intellectually rewarding
privileges of living in this era is that you get to choose your
own reading material. When you read the works of Pramoedya Ananta
Toer you will recognize that privilege. While elsewhere his books
received world-class awards and recognition, he was ironically a
pariah in his own land. Unlike the works of so many other
creators -- whose works were only worth mentioning because they
happened to oppose the ruling Soeharto regime -- Pram's books are
indeed superb literature compositions regardless of the
controversy surrounding him.

His writing style, rich vocabulary and meticulous knowledge of
the subject of his books have placed him in a class of his own.
One of his latest printed works is Arok Dedes, the first that was
published after Soeharto resigned in May 1998. Pram's earlier
books were banned here. Arok Dedes is a historical epic
delineating the devious struggle of a commoner name Arok to
ascend to the throne of Tumapel.

The time set was early 13th century; the stake was the throne
of Tumapel, a subordinate region under the Kediri Kingdom in East
Java. The story begins with the abduction of Dedes, the beautiful
virgin daughter of Mpu Parwa, a noted Brahman priest. She was
kidnapped by Tunggul Ametung -- the ruthless ruler of Tumapel --
to be his bride.

At the time Tunggul Ametung was in power, the people under his
rule lived in poor conditions while the king was concerned only
with his own welfare. There was also dissatisfaction on the part
of the Brahman society as the priests' discontentment had
intensified since the ruling of Sri Erlangga, the ancestor of the
current Kediri king. The late monarch established Hyang Vishnu
(the God of sustenance) as the supreme God as opposed to Betara
Shiva (the God of destruction) which was the god of choice for
the Brahman priests.

Then came Arok, an orphan born as a Sudra who became the
disciple of Dang Hyang Lohgawe, a renowned and highly respected
priest at the time. Arok was not just proficient in Hindu
teaching, he also was the leader of a rebellious guerrilla group
that was against Tunggul Ametung's rule. The abduction of Dedes
was the trigger for the solidification of the rebelling group
with the Brahman society, with Arok as the vanguard of the
movement. Through a devious plan mastermind by Dang Hyang
Lohgawe, Arok became the highest-ranking officer of the army in
Tunggul Ametung's castle. Thereupon, battle after battle Arok
supposedly "conquered" his own rebellion troops and acted as the
protector of Tunggul Ametung and his wife, Dedes. During the
time, another insurgent group -- headed by royal weaponmaker Mpu
Gandring -- was also conspiring to attain the throne. A Sudra man
himself, Mpu Gandring used Kebo Ijo, a high-ranking soldier with
Ksatria blood, as his front man. With the help of Dedes, Arok set
up a plan to lure Kebo Ijo to commit the final step of murdering
the already weakened Tunggul Ametung. After establishing Kebo Ijo
as the culprit, Arok then made the move to center stage and, with
the blessing of Dang Hyang Lohgawe, asserted his position as the
new ruler of Tumapel with Dedes as his wife.

The intricate plot is an authentic part of Javanese history.
Nevertheless, Pram's way of telling the story makes one forget
that this is the same story taught in history class back in
junior high. The meticulous detail of each character and the
socioreligious conditions make you feel like you are actually
living in that bygone era. Through his words, Dedes becomes a
sensuous beautiful creature and not just some Javanese queen.

However, she is not just a pretty face; she is the daughter of
the great Mpu Parwa and equipped with a Hindu scholarly
upbringing. In one paragraph we can witness her transformation
from a helpless kidnapping victim to a woman of power: "She
smiles with satisfaction at realizing her authority as a king's
wife. She traverses the veranda. In her heart she continuously
chants her gratification to the supreme God. Power is so
beautiful and pleasant. She will cling to it, and make it a
fortress for herself and a shield against sadness and
bafflement."

The character Arok comes across as a complete man. A Sudra who
creates battle strategies as though he was born with Ksatria
blood in his veins, who is also an eloquent speaker of Sanskrit,
the language of the Brahmin. Pram's version of Arok created new
discourse. Through Pram's writing, Arok is no longer the cunning,
back-stabbing person he traditionally has been portrayed as, he
is now the hero in the saga.

Budi Darma -- a distinguished writer and scholar of literature
-- once stated in his novel, Olenka, that, "A worthy literary
work is not a work of writing that is full of astounding physical
actions, but is one that is enriched with glimmers of so many
thoughts." Thus, what can you call a book that paradoxically
enraptures those two elements in harmony? If one thing were to be
described as somewhat of a bother in this book, it is the
repeated statement from the publisher (on the back cover and
again in the forward) analogizing the story with the alleged
Soeharto coup plot back in 1965. Some how it feels like an
unnecessary marketing strategy (on the publisher's part) to
create some sort of controversy. A magnum opus like this one can
definitely be treasured on its own literary worth.

-- Reita I. Malaon