'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.