Murti, children's story teller

Endang Roh Suciati, Contributor, Jakarta

Taking children's literature as the topic of her dissertation led Murti Bunanta, an author and academic, to become the first person to obtain a doctoral degree on that subject from the University of Indonesia in 1997.

Murti choose the Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih tale as the subject of her academic exploration. In the past, the folk tale was recounted orally.

"I wanted to know the quality of the folk stories that have been rewritten into children's stories. I went to many libraries to find what I was looking for. Then I came to the conclusion that the story of Bawang Merah and Bawang Putih is the most rewritten folk tale. So I picked it," said Murti.

Murti, who was born in Semarang, Central Java, on Aug. 5, 1946, found that the quality of story retelling in Indonesia is meager and frequently tended to blur the real meaning of the original story.

"The story comes from the fantasy world, but it is retold as if it happened in the real world. This is not necessary. The image that the stepmother is always cruel does not need to be accentuated because the real message is that one has to work hard in order to succeed," she said.

That compelled her to keep on improving children's literature. Her dissertation was only one example of Murti's efforts to promote children's literature.

Murti received her bachelor's degree in 1981 from the University of Indonesia's School of Letters with a thesis on Dutch Children's' Literature, and completed her postgraduate studies with a thesis on American Children's' Literature in 1985, also in the University of Indonesia.

"When I finished my primary degree I found that the awareness of children's literature was low," she said.

In 1987, amid her tight schedule as a lecturer in UI, she together with some colleagues founded a group named the Society for the Advancement of Children's Literature (KPBA), a non-profit organization that has pioneered various activities to promote children's reading habits in Indonesia.

"My duty is to force everyone to pay attention to children, to provide them with good books, and to improve the interest of children in reading," said Murti.

She has been the group's chairwoman since then. The group's activities include storytelling, improving human resources through training teachers, and trying to provide good books as well as helping establish libraries.

"In the future we also want to send young talents abroad to attend workshops to improve their skills," said Murti, speaking about the organization's plans.

Murti, who is the daughter of a former swimming coach, is married to Bunanta, a businessman. She was herself a talented national swimming athlete. She also won a third and second place in different swimming categories in the 4th Asian Games in Jakarta in 1962.

"I met him while we were both active in sports," said Murti. whose husband was a water polo athlete.

The couple has one son, Andreas, an engineer and businessman, and a daughter, Agatha, who has a Master of Business Administration degree.

"We are a joyful family with enough books to read. So I want to share this with other children. That's all. It's a simple goal,'' said Murti.

She has written at least 10 children's books both in English and the Indonesia language. Among these are Twenty Indonesian Proverbs for Children, Tiny Boy, The Mouse Deer and Turtle, The Legend of The Banyan Tree, and ABC-Book about Animals. Her work Si Bungsu Katak (1997) won an international competition, the Januz Korzchak International Literary Prize, in 1998.

All of the books are folk stories. The Library of Congress in America, which is known to be very selective in choosing books, is among the institutions that collect her books.

"I am preparing my eleventh book, which will be published in the U.S., retelling Indonesian folk stories," she said.

Why does she choose writing folk stories?

"I start with folk stories because these are what I love. When I was a child, my mother told me stories, and these became the subjects of my research. By retelling the folk tales, we introduce our culture, our spirit, to others, and we get to know ourselves," said Murti.

Murti has written a number of essays and given lectures on children's reading. She has also served as a juror in some international festivals on children's literature.

By writing books, she also wants to help build up dignity in children.

Working for children is her everyday activity. Often, she has to find the sponsors, working partners, and even an organizer herself for an event.

There are young people who voluntarily help, but they just come and go.

Despite her tight schedule as a mother and teacher, she still cherishes a dream. She wants to catalog her book collection, which contains more than 30,000 children's books.

"This is long-held dream," she said.