'Horison' turns 32, ailing but still respected

'Horison' turns 32, ailing but still respected

By Stevie Emilia

JAKARTA (JP): Relying on a small fanatic readership, and
surviving much on its founders' fierce dedication, literary
magazine Horison has turned 32 -- still ailing but respected.

"It's a miracle," exclaimed veteran journalist Mochtar Lubis,
the magazine's general manager, describing how Horison has
survived the hardships that have haunted his publication.

Beaming with pride, Lubis -- one of the magazine's founders --
told stories of how many literary journals have perished because
of their managers' lack of sense of survival.

"I can't remember the number but if the dead journals had to
be buried, the cemetery would be fully occupied," he chuckled.

Lubis, who also chairs the Indonesian Obor Foundation, an
organization which publishes literary works, said he would like
to see Horison survive at least another 32 years.

But he would like to see more literary magazines published
because Horison, like any other specialized journal, reaches too
small a number of Indonesia's 203 million people to promote
literature.

The magazine's anniversary celebration on July 25 featured a
one-day seminar on literature, poetry reading and a music show at
the Taman Ismail Marzuki art center, Cikini, Central Jakarta.

The seminar, on Indonesian literature toward the 21st century,
featured Faruk, a professor of literature from Gadjah Mada
University, and cultural observer Ignas Kleden.

The second-oldest literary monthly after the Yogyakarta-based
Basis, which was set up in 1951, Horison must compete with
newspapers and general magazines which also run literary works.

For the first several years after it was established, Horison
spurred hope in literary circles that it could reinvigorate the
fading literature in this country. But apparently, poor
management led the magazine into a state of paralysis. Many
copies were just lying around, dusty and unsold.

But in 1993, Yayasan Indonesia, which owned the magazine's
publishing license, opened its door to investors to inject new
life into the dying magazine.

PT Grafiti Pers was invited on board, agreed to inject funds
and put in a new editorial board under the editorship of Goenawan
Mohamad. The new management even managed to launch a new version
of the magazine.

Then, problems arose after several members of the Yayasan
Indonesia board raised concerns over the prospect of continued
cooperation by using a profit-sharing scheme as an issue.

The founding members of Yayasan Indonesia, Lubis and Taufiq
Ismail, decided to terminate the cooperation, stating that their
motive was to give Grafiti a chance to publish another cultural
magazine.

After Grafiti, the magazine was jointly managed by Yayasan
Indonesia and PT Global Sarana Media Nusantara for a year. After
Global left the magazine in December 1994 it was reported that
state oil company Pertamina was also interested in injecting
funds into the magazine.

Cultural observer Ignas Kleden said that between 1960 and
1970, Horison was well-known for its experimental works and a
must-read journal for literary enthusiasts.

"At that time, writers would do anything to get their works
published in Horison. The publication meant recognition of a
writer's quality work," he said.

Now, he said, Horison has been transformed into a magazine
which also provides literary education for the general public,
especially high school students, by introducing a supplement
called Kakilangit, which also means horizon.

"The transformation causes a dualism for the magazine. It's
good and gives a new identity to the magazine ... but it has to
pay a price for that," Ignas said.

"The supplement has eaten up space available for short
stories, essays and other literary works in the magazine."

The supplement, introduced in November 1996, is aimed at
improving students' appreciation of literature and literary
works.

Lubis recalled that Horison's first edition splashed Taufiq
Ismail's famous poem Karangan Bunga (Flower Arrangements) on its
cover.

The founding fathers agreed back then that the magazine was
intended to accommodate literary works of Indonesian writers.

"At the time, there were few publications on literature. It's
difficult for writers to have their works known to the public,"
he said.

Putu Wijaya and Umar Kayam were among the writers who
regularly contributed their works. Now, many of the contributors
are junior writers.

"Few senior writers contribute their work now but I'm not
pessimistic about our young writers' ability. Most of them have
the talent and what they need is opportunity ...," Mochtar said.

Noted writer Ramadhan KH noted a decline in the number of
contributors to Horison despite the growing number of young
talented writers.

He said that many writers now prefer to send their works to
other media. "Fewer senior writers contribute their work to
Horison, only several of them still do, such as A.A. Navis," he
said.

The financial hitch has often forced the magazine to appear
only three to four times a year, yet it maintains its claim as a
monthly.

In its latest anniversary edition, the magazine announces that
due to the monetary crisis, the magazine will appear as a single
edition for July and August.

"We're familiar with this kind of situation and we always
survive. We are not too worried," Mochtar said.

Ati Ismail, executive director of Yayasan Indonesia, said the
magazine's circulation is 12,000 copies, 1,000 less than two
months ago.

Before the introduction of Kakilangit, circulation was only
about 2,500, she said.

In April, the single copy price was raised from Rp 5,000 to Rp
6,000. With a circulation of 12,000, the magazine breaks even,
she added.

Senior high school students account for the bulk of its
subscribers. Public high schools subscribe to 4,000 copies,
Islamic madrasah schools 3,000 copies and vocational schools
1,000 copies.

"Our chief mission is not to look for profit but to promote
literature," she said.

To attract contributors, Horison offers a relatively handsome
honorarium, between Rp 250,000 and Rp 300,000 per article.

"The fee for the writers is determined based on seniority. For
many writers, the fee does not really matter because they're
proud if their works are published," Ati said.