H.B. Jassin still a major literary force on his old age

By Rita Sri Hastuti

JAKARTA (JP): Dressed in a brown long-sleeved batik shirt, pink sarong and with a black cap, Hans Bague Jassin came out of his room in a wheelchair to welcome guests to his house on Jl. Arimbi, Central Jakarta.

He wanted to smile but at 82 he could not hide his fatigue.

On Feb. 23, the Indonesian literature exponent launched his latest adaptation, Mimpi Buruk Sang Putri Raja (The Princess' Nightmare). It is the first volume of four in the series 1001 Hari: Kisah-kisah Parsi (One Thousand and One Days: Persian Tales).

During the event he remained seated with his head bowed, occasionally coughing. His wife of 37 years, Juliko, and his niece Rita sometimes wiped Jassin's face with a handkerchief. When poet Taufik Ismail came to bring the new book to him, he found Jassin sound asleep. An employee of H.B. Jassin Literary Documentation Center said he could sit for only two hours.

"He has been working continuously for 50 years. And from his hands Indonesian literary men were born," Taufik said.

He knows Jassin as dedicated, consistent and indefatigable in his work.

"Every day Jassin spent time to read and write in a seated position for hours on end. He also noted down diligently and in neat handwriting all events and conversations he came across. Among literary men he bears the nickname of a 'literary spy'."

The manuscript of 1001 Hari: Kisah-kisah Parsi was sent to a publishing house shortly after it was completed two years go. But it lay idle there until another publisher, Mizan, agreed to publish it, said Oyon Sofyan, secretary of the council of the H.B. Jassin Documentation Foundation.

Many people still remember Jassin's steadfastness when he was derided for his translation Al Qur'an Bacaan Mulia (The Koran, the Noble Book) in 1978. Some queried his competence in translating the Koran, doubting his knowledge of Islam and Arabic language skills. Jassin continued with his other controversial translation, Al Qur'an Berwajah Puisi (The Koran in Poetry).

According to Taufik Ismail, Jassin is never angered by criticism, even if the critics are much younger writers.

They were not his first works to spark controversy. In 1971, as editor of Sastra literary magazine, he was sentenced to probation for "blasphemy" for the story Langit Makin Mendung (The Sky Becomes More Cloudy), written by another writer under the pen name Ki Pandji Kusmin.

Hans, born on July 31, 1917, in Gorontalo, North Sulawesi, was called Jamadi at home although his real name is Hamzah. He received a stern education from his father, Bague Mantu Jassin, a customs employee.

Jassin has acknowledged he inherited his writing talent and love of books from his father, who boasted a complete library at home and spoke Dutch fluently. Not surprisingly, his love of the printed word started when he was a child.

He also inherited dedication from his grandfather Mantu Jassin, a merchant. In 1940 Hans started collecting modern Indonesian literary documents. In 1976, with the support of then Jakarta governor Ali Sadikin, his collection was managed in a more professional way through the H.B. Jassin Literary Documentation Center, located at Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center, Central Jakarta.

Jassin, who gained the nickname the "pope" of Indonesian literature, graduated from the University of Indonesia and studied at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, from 1958 to 1959. In 1975, he was awarded a Doctor Honoris Causa (honorary PhD) from the School of Literature, University of Indonesia.

Jassin's closeness to literature started when he worked as an editor for Mimbar Indonesia magazine in 1947, later moving to Zenith, Kisah and Sastra magazines. Among items stored at his documentation center are original documents from his editing desk. Also on file is Jassin's correspondence with literary figures, replete with their photographs. The works of 1,500 literary people have been collected in the center.

Jassin himself was a productive writer. Among his works are Angkatan 45 (1945 Generation), Kesusastraan Indonesia Modern dalam Kritik dan Esei (Indonesian Modern Literature in Criticism and Essays) and Sastra Indonesia sebagai Warga Sastra Dunia (Indonesian Literature as a Member of World Literature). He also translated Multatulli's Max Havelaar from Dutch.

In 1993, he suffered a stroke. But he did not give up on his work. Although he frequently visited the hospital, he wrote Al Qur'an Berwajah Puisi. Despite criticism, the book was published in 1997. He found the time to collect press clippings commenting on the controversy of the work and which he subsequently published in book form as Kontroversi Al Qur'an Berwajah Puisi (Controversy on Koran in Poetry).

Jassin started work on 1001 Hari after suffering a fourth stroke in 1996.

"At the time we asked Pak Jassin what he was planning to do," said Taufik Ismail. "He said in a soft tone he wanted to translate that work. We were ashamed. We younger literary men were only chatting while Pak Jassin continued to work. Moreover Pak Jassin said he would translate the work from Dutch, a work of 2,000 pages."

At the same time, he was also translating Jalaluddin Rumi, which he later passed on to writer Ali Audah, Percakapan Burung- burung (Bird Talk) and Kasidah. Percakapan Burung-burung has yet to be published and the translation of Kasidah remains unfinished because Jassin gave up his work after suffering a fifth stroke in 1996.

Since then, the smile often seen vying with the big birthmark close to the right side of his mouth has gradually faded.

"He is mostly silent," said Rita Jassin, the niece who assists Jassin at work and in daily life.

Jassin spends his days mostly lying in bed. He cannot use his hand to write. He formerly told Rita about his dreams when he woke up, but now he seldom talks. In the morning he still enjoys the sunshine as he sits in his wheelchair in front of his house, but he only looks around with an empty gaze.