Trinil promotes Surabaya's image in literature

Indra Harsaputra, The Jakarta Post, Surabaya

Mulane nek kenek tak elingna, Asem Rowo kampung rika Surabya kutha rika Tanah Jawa wutah getih rika.

(That's why, if I may remind you, Asem Rawa is your village, Surabaya is your city, Java Island is your birthplace.)

This is a verse in a Javanese poem, Tekek Lali Gowoke (House Lizard that Forgets its Home) by Trinil Sri Setyowati, a Surabaya-born poet.

Trinil, born on July 27, 1965, has written the poem in Surabaya dialect and uses a traditional, sentimental style to describe her criticism of young people in Surabaya who have forgotten their indigenous culture.

"I'm really angry at this. Instead, they adopt the language and dialect of the Betawi people -- the indigenous people of Jakarta -- or even shift to European culture in their daily communications," she told The Jakarta Post.

In fact, she said, the dialect of Surabaya served as the medium of communication used by young people from Surabaya, Gresik, Sidoarjo and Mojokerto in East Java during their struggle to defend Indonesia's freedom and sovereignty from the clutch of the Dutch colonialists.

Thanks to the Surabaya dialect, the East Java youngsters fought to their last drop of blood in a fierce struggle on November 10, 1945, now observed as Heroes Day.

Unfortunately, many of Surabaya's youngsters show greater pride when they speak in the Betawi vernacular. In their opinion, the dialect of Surabaya is the language of less educated and backward people, or maybe language used only by those with a penchant for rioting and whining.

"The dialect of Surabaya can be uttered in an equally soft manner like the Mataraman (Surakarta-Yogyakarta) Javanese dialect. It does not belong to marginalized people but to all Surabaya residents," she noted.

To dispel the unfavorable image associated with the Surabaya dialect and, at the same time, the Javanese Surabaya subdialect, Trinil has written her literary works in Surabaya dialect. Her collection of 66 poems was published in late 2004 under the title Donga Kembang Waru, while her novel, Sarunge Jagung, saw the light of day in June 2005. Trinil financed the publication of these literary works herself.

In her novel, which has 117 pages and has come out in 300 copies, Trinil writes a lot about a failed love story between two people of different culture and status: Ratri, the daughter of an official, and an ordinary young man.

In modern Javanese literature, Trinil is not as popular as Suparto Brata, the writer of Trem (Tram), a novel written in Javanese. Before publishing her collection of poems and her novel, Trinil was better known as a choreographer.

Her most popular pieces are Musim Hujan (Rainy Season) and Kembang Temon (Temon Flower)."I began to write seriously in 2000 when I worked as a reporter for Jayabaya magazine," she said.

Although she may be considered a newcomer in modern Javanese literature, Trinil, who also teaches at the school of pedagogy at Surabaya State University, is unique as a writer.

Her literature reflects her idealism, something that is usually absent in the work of other writers, who pay more attention to its commercial value.

If you compare Trinil's work with that of other writers that also features Surabaya, then you will find that her works are not only rich in Surabaya dialect but are also laden with the cultural values of the city.

Thanks to this spirit, her works offer transparency and straightforwardness in the absence of a calculating mind. The main theme in these works is an effort to preserve tradition and culture.

"Many have sarcastically told me that my literary works do not sell because they are written in the Javanese Surabaya dialect. I don't care, though, and continue to popularize the language of Surabaya among youngsters and government officials," she said.

Apart from filling her works with ideas about preserving tradition and culture, Trinil also dwells on the lives of women in Surabaya. In a poem titled Lho, Kok Koen Min, she writes: sangkakna sapa iku mau, kok cekak rokmu, kok kandel bengesmu,la apa gak masuk angin koen kembenan thok, la iku anake wong endi ae sakmono kehe kok meh uda kabeh, jaremu kate mbok golekna penggaweyan nang bangsa liya. (Who do you think you are, how short your skirt is, how thick your makeup; won't you catch cold wearing your clothes that way? Who are the half-naked women that go with you? You say you will find them a job in a foreign land.)

This particular poem is about a young girl who has abandoned the traditional values with which she has been raised. Hermin, the antagonist in the poem, has become wealthy as a broker of female migrant workers. Her wealth has transformed her way of life.

Besides lashing out at her society, Trinil writes a lot about the old days in Surabaya in her works. Some of her poems that are set in the Surabaya of the past are Sekolahane Nonik-nonik, Pasar Besar, Embong Macan, Kayoon, Kampung Arab, Hotel Sarkies, Hotel Orange and Hotel Embong Malang.

"I never expected to receive any reward. I have written my works purely in response to my restlessness at the fading of Surabaya culture," she said in a fiery manner.