Poet Sutardji in search for words

By Yudha Kartohadiprodjo

I come. I come to heed your call/ Face to face with Ka'bah, I come/ to the extension of my poems./ After uncertainty and restlessness, after delirium seared my veins.

Taken from Sutardji Calzum Bahri's Berdepan-depan dengan Ka'bah (Face to face with Ka'bah)

JAKARTA (JP): To those who have made substantial change recognition is given. A quarter of a century ago, Sutardji Calzum Bachri published his poetic creed in Horison, a literary magazine. With his eccentric poetry readings, Sutardji, his creed and his spiritual poems, became a symbol of a new generation of Indonesian literature.

"It is hard to be crazy on the stage like him," said a close associate of his. "Yet, it is the aberration of his thought, the courage to make breakthroughs that makes him comparable to Chairil Anwar and Pablo Neruda."

At a poetry reading last week, Sutardji stole the audience's attention by singing, dancing and, at times, joking with them. He brought along a posse to accompany him on stage. His style, though not as rabid as it was in the 1970s, when he was known to carry an axe on stage, grabbed the audience's attention with its intensity.

Beyond his stage performances and literary recognition, Sutardji, 52 years old, remains a modest man.

Similar to a mantra, his early poetry was influenced by the culture in which he was brought up.

what flows? blood. what blooms? roses. what swells? hope. what feels? regret.

Taken from what flows, translated by John McGlyn

With his licentia poetica, Sutardji changes the grammar and structure of language in his poetry.

His first collection, O, was published in 1966. His other books are Amuk (Amok, 1973) and Kapak (Axe, 1979).

Sutardji went to the Public Administration School of Padjadjaran University in Bandung, but he never graduated. He said that he left school to answer his calling to literature.

Currently a senior editor at Horison, Sutardji, a father of a daughter, received the Chairil Anwar Literary Award in March 1998.

Below are excerpts of Sutardji's interview with The Jakarta Post.

Question: How did your childhood influence your language style?

Answer: I was brought up in a traditional culture, where literature is in the form of rhyming quatrains, and curse and mantra are dominant elements. The culture became a dominant factor that influenced me.

Also, Riau's closeness to Singapore and the Malay straits encouraged my interaction with the outside world. When I was a child, I used to see ships from Norway and Japan, and meet the sailors.

So, even though I was brought up in a traditional culture, it was dynamic; not a conservative culture.

Another important factor was the connection of my birthplace with our language. Since the Indonesian language is based on Malay (which originate from the Malay straits region), it became my mother tongue before I received any formal education. So my comprehension eased my exploration of the nuances and meanings of the language.

Q: So the role of culture was prominent in the development of your literary development?

A: Because I am from Riau, I have a vanity for the language. My pride increases my confidence to play with and manipulate the language. I have no hesitation to use words in original ways: mixing adjectives as nouns, verbs as adjectives. I have the courage because I feel that I own the language, therefore I can not be wrong. It might be different if I was not from Riau, if I was not a native speaker.

Q: What triggered your exploration of linguistics?

A: My introduction to linguistics occurred was when I bought a book for the first time, as a second grader in elementary school. Surprisingly, it was an American comic book. The title was Rough Rider. I bought it because it was full of pictures.

In the mean time, I was also exposed to foreign newspapers, used as grocery wrappers.

My interest arose as I saw the sentence structure of the English language in these books and newspapers.

"Why are there so many 'the' in the newspapers' headlines?", was my initial question.

Not until later in my life did I realize that we become more aware of our own language when we are acquainted with another language. When we see another language, we meet something that is unique and strange, something that we never met before. For me, it was a sensation like that experienced by Alice in Wonderland.

The distinctiveness of a language leads me to familiarize myself with linguistics. When I create, I am always looking for the uniqueness of the language.

Q: You are well known for your spiritual poems. What caused your interest in the subject?

A: From my early poems, O, my poetry was about God, the creations of God. At that time however, I was still in my searching period.

I came from a religious family, and was brought up in a society that still believed in supernatural forces. This influenced me to think that while man is not eternal, he must continually strive.

I was looking for the essentials. My first poem questioned the concept of eternity.

Q: How do you see the human existence?

A: For me, a human is a God on the face of the earth. As a Moslem, I see that human's role is to became Khalifah (leader), to carry out God's duty in the world.

Therefore our duty, and especially the duty of each new generation, is to revitalize the world. There are always out of date laws and principles that needs to be replaced.

The role of a creative man, or anyone who realizes their existence, is to revitalize the world. He always needs to nurture the child within. Creative men are those who offer to change and modify the old principles.

(In his poem Kapak (Axe), Sutardji encouraged a break from the old principles: Everybody carries an axe/ Everybody is on the prowl/ headed to the heavens/ Everybody prepares to be committed/ If heaven can not be reached/ Why not hack them/ They say/)

Q: How do you perceive the creative process?

A: For me to create a poem, there needs to be a perfect moment: a moment that should be ideal for a poet. When he (a poet) creates, he can feel this moment coming. During this time, he becomes the beautiful and noble words of his poetry. But once he has finished his creation he becomes a normal human being. Never expect that a poet will be as pure as his poetry.

Q: What is your source of inspiration?

A: I was interested in subjects relating to God's creation: the existence of human beings, perpetuity, the meaning of life for humans. Now I am more interested in more worldly problems, such as social oppression.

(In 1979 Sutardji wrote inBerita Buana daily: If you are writing a poem, you have to be committed wholeheartedly, with the greatest intensity that is possible. You always have to continuously search for, until you find it, the language. Those who do not find the language cannot be called a poet)

Q: In the creed that you wrote in 1973, you mentioned that a poet should continue to probe the language. What did you mean by that?

A: When a poet creates, he should seek for the meaning of expression, the essence of the language. These expression should give a new meaning and value to life.

For me, writing a poem is about searching for the suitable value of life. Here, our search for originality gives us the passion and enthusiasm that makes our life fulfill.

(Sutardji recites a bit of his recent poem: seek words/find a statement)

A word is a vast object, especially since it is always related to a cultural situation. A nation which does not have an impression is a nation without a culture. This is what makes our identity, what develops our culture.

Q: Does this process involves more of a physical process or a spiritual process?

A: At a glance, it seems that the process is a physical process. Yet, when we are searching for a word, subconsciously we are using our life experience as a whole.

Besides, there are other factors such as vision, perception and the level of intelligence and education that influence our choice of words.

Q: What is the relationship between you and the poems that you write?

A: For me, poetry is a part of my obsession. When I was obsessed by religious subjects, I became more inspired to write about them. Whatever touched my emotions triggered my inspiration.

Q: How do you use symbols, like the axe, in your poetry?

A: The use of symbolism in a poem depends on the poet's intimacy with the object. When I was a child, my duty was to look for firewood among the mangroves near my house, using an axe. For me, the axe symbolizes a struggle, and I feel close to it. On the other hand, I would not use a word like "computer" in my poem, because I am not familiar with it.

Q: How do you see the function of a poet in modern society?

A: Taken lightly, the function may be that of pure entertainer. Yet, entertainment can also come in a spiritual way.

In a more profound way, a poet can offer enlightenment and standards of comparison for a society.

A poet's role can be similar to that of the clergy. His thoughts are noted by society. Poetry is seen as the voice of society's conscious. Yet, while the orientation of the clergy is toward God, the role of a poet should be to give values based on the contemplation of human beliefs.

Q: To what extent does a poet own his work?

A: When he publishes his work, the public has the right to give their judgments. Poets can not dictate the public's opinion of their work.

Q: So the public's appreciation is important for a poet?

A: However beautiful a work is, it depends on the maturity of the public. If there is no response for a work, maybe due to a lack of literary education among the public, a great work means nothing.

To be able to judge the value of poetry, the public needs to be free to think. They cannot be restrained and afraid to make comparisons.

Q: What do you think has prevented young poets from making a breakthrough?

A: There are more challenges to face these days. One of them is consumerism. In the past, Chairil Anwar could just go around town by riding a bicycle. Now everything is becoming more expensive, and young poets needs to take care of themselves first.

Also in our present situation, there are many pressures on young poets to give up to societal euphemisms; to practice self- censorship.

Q: Do you think your creed has given you a flock of followers?

A: As a poet, I want every poet to look for his own expression. I do not want anyone to blindly follow my lead. A poet can be influenced by my style, but that influence should be just a factor in his progress.