Kirjomulyo, a great literary man

Kirjomulyo, a great literary man

By Tarko Sudiarno

YOGYAKARTA (JP): His works abound in books and his name
appears in literary compilations for his outstanding contribution
to Indonesian literature. But Kirjomulyo remained an extremely
low-profile figure until he died in January.

Born in Yogyakarta in 1930, and a prolific writer of the
1950s, Kirjomulyo was regarded as being of the same caliber as
poet Chairil Anwar or modern poet-playwright WS Rendra.

Early this month, his fellow writers observed the 40th day of
his death with a modest ceremony at the conference hall of
Kedaulatan Rakyat newspaper building in Yogyakarta. A play titled
Senja Dengan Dua Kelelawar (A Dusk with Two Bats) that Kirjomulyo
wrote in the 1950s was performed as a tribute.

The play was performed very well by Teater Latar, albeit the
stage was extremely simple -- as if to allude to Kirjomulyo's
lifestyle.

Kirjomulyo's works have been widely recognized as being of a
high standard but it remains a mystery why so few of them have
been documented. Few critics gave him their attention, as did
publishers of his time.

He was so media-shy that rarely did his name appear in the
mass media. Unlike his fellow writers, he almost never appeared
in public. Nevertheless, his death surprised the literary world
here and his name and works suddenly received wide publication.

His most productive years were the 1950s, when he wrote more
than 100 poems and 40 scripts. His poems include Lembah Batu
Pualam (Marble Valley) and Roman Perjalanan (Voyage of Romance).
Among his most well-known scripts are Nona Maryam (Miss Maryam),
Penggali Kapur (The Limestone Miner), Penggali Intan (The Diamond
Miner) and Tujuh Orang Tahanan (Seven Detainees).

Kirjomulyo's compilation work, Lawan dan Karibmu (Your Enemy
and Best Friend, 1967) is considered his last and best piece.

Observers say Kirjomulyo was too low profile, that he hid from
the media. To his dying day he did not care very much about his
works or about himself.

In a 1989 article in Basis literary magazine, writer Linus
Suryadi AG portrayed Kirjomulyo as a poet who did not pay much
attention to his own creative works or his surroundings.

He was known as a productive poet and scriptwriter, but he did
not want to document his works.

"If there was no HB Jassin, who documented his works, it would
be difficult to identify Kirjomulyo," said Linus, the author of
Pengakuan Pariyem (Pariyem's Confession).

Linus added that Kirjomulyo was not a writer from the 1950s
put forward by Indonesian poetry critics, who did not show much
interest in his works. Although his contributions to Indonesian
modern poetry were clear and could be proven, they remained vague
due to the lack of critical attention toward his works.

And the life this Yogyakarta writer led was different from
colleagues such as Ayib Rosidi, Rendra, Ramadhan KH and Subagio
Sastrowardojo.

After "leaving" the literature world to the day when he died,
Kirjomulyo was a figure of great concern. He did not create any
new literary works or have a steady job. He also moved from one
place to another.

A Yogyakarta cultural observer and journalist, Hariyadi SN,
cited that Kirjomulyo once said he used Javanese philosophy
Kridha Lumahing Asta, which means living one's life with the
support of others. "It could be said that Kirjomulyo begged to
support himself.

"After running a cultural magazine published by Yogyakarta's
Department of Education and Culture, Kirjomulyo focused on
research about ancient kingdoms in the country. His obsession was
to reveal the thin red line of seven kingdoms here," Hariyadi
said.

He said Kirjomulyo's research methods were unique. He did not
use common research methods but used his own, such as collecting
broken pieces of pottery along the Begawan Solo river or taking
trips that he believed useful for his research.

Whether his method worked or not, Kirjomulyo was known as a
noted literary figure in the country, which could be seen from
the presence of the many literary figures and noted artists
paying their last respects at his burial service.