Indonesian literature goes to Bulgaria

By Johannes Simbolon

JAKARTA (JP): Bulgaria is one continent away from Indonesia, but in terms of culture the distance has to some wonderful extent been bridged by a Bulgarian poet named Krassin Himmirsky.

Early this year, the 65-year-old launched an anthology of poems by Indonesian modern poets which he translated along with a group of Bulgarian leading poets. The work represents a wide range of poets from the first generation like Amir Hamzah and Chairil Anwar, to the younger generation like Sitok Srengenge.

Previously he translated a number of Indonesian folklores, including Si Kabayan, Joko Linglung, Calon Arang; and a play by the late Utuy Tatang Sontani Bunga Rumah Makan.

He is now preparing to publish an anthology of Indonesian short stories

To Bulgarians, who recanted communism in 1989, it means that they can now widen their outlook on life with the cultural expressions of an Asian country so far away, which only few of them might have visited or ever heard of.

As for Himmirsky himself, as an author he feels he has followed the path that many great writers walked in the past, that is, the "journey to the archipelago".

"Many world great authors from the West once sought inspirations from the archipelagic regions. British short story writer Somerset Maughaum, American novelist Ernest Hemingway were among them," he said in Bahasa Indonesia during a recent discussion, attended by a horde of Indonesian authors, at Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center.

For Indonesians, who are mostly ignorant about Bulgaria -- we know its soccer star Hristo Stoichkov but don't even know that the famous slave in Rome, Spartacus, was from there -- it is difficult to pass judgment on Himmirsky's literary position in his country.

All we know is that he has written, in Bulgarian, three books of poems and a compilation of short stories. At present he teaches literature at three prominent universities in his country. We may get a glimpse of his literary achievement his short book entitled Open Up, Sir, published in 1986 when he was cultural attache at the Bulgarian embassy in the U.S. The book sold 10,000 copies within a week in his motherland.

Above all, what Himmirsky, who also speaks English, French, Spanish and Russian, has done for Indonesian literature is strong evidence of his obsession with Indonesia.

Obsession

"The first time I visited his house in Sofia I was impressed with the plentiful exotic sculptures and ornaments from Indonesia there. I said to myself `This man is so obsessed with Indonesia'," recalled his wife Natalia Klyova, a noted painter and arts lecturer in Sofia, who later shared her husband's obsession.

Natalia, whose works have been collected by a number of museums around the world, is now exhibiting her graphic art and paintings through June 20 at the Jakarta Arts Institute. The exhibition, sponsored by the Indonesian embassy in Bulgaria, is part of Indonesia's 50th year of independence celebrations.

Himmirsky's obsession with Indonesia dates back to the sixties, when as a young man he served as the cultural attache at the Bulgarian embassy in Indonesia for four and a half years. He had just received his doctoral degree in literature from the University of Moscow, majoring in American literature. During that time he took a brief course in Bahasa Indonesia.

"I just felt it useful to know an Asian language and opted for Bahasa Indonesia," he said.

His placement in Indonesia provided him with a lot of opportunities to deepen his knowledge of the language and befriend many of its prominent literary figures. He whiled away his spare time translating Indonesian poems, but they all remained in manuscripts until they were published early this year.

"I translated Aku from Chairil Anwar thirty years ago. The work is very touching," he said.

He left Indonesia for many years but still keeps in touch with what goes on in the country and the Himmirskys' house in Sofia is a hangout for Indonesians. It was Ramadhan Pohan, a Jawa Pos daily correspondent in Bulgaria, who kept prodding him to publish the poems.

That is not all that he has done for Indonesia. He teaches Indonesian at the course opened by the embassy and, along with others, lobbied for the language to be included in the programs at Sofia University. Together with 150 diplomats, academics and businessmen, he is also active in the lovers of Indonesia club in Sofia, the biggest club of its kind in the country.

"He is in the forefront of promoting Indonesia in Bulgaria. Our embassy intensively uses him," said poet Hamid Djabbar.

After all, Himmirsky is still the son of his motherland, and as such has a dream that Indonesians also know about his country, which is now economically in dire straits and culturally experiencing the transition from communism to democracy.

During his current visit here, he is trying to persuade fellow writers that Bulgarian literary works be published here.

"When I asked the publishers in Bulgaria to publish my Indonesian poetry book, they said `Okay, but also publish our poems in Indonesia'," he recalled.

During the discussion at Taman Ismail Marzuki Arts Center, some authors who were present seemed pessimistic about the plan, saying that they themselves now face financial difficulties in publishing their works.

Should a man like Himmirsky go home empty-handed? There must be a way for Indonesians to answer the kind gestures from him with equal gratitude. Besides, we would really like to know more about Bulgaria.