'Wounded Longing' illustrates Putu Oka's life-long struggle
'Wounded Longing' illustrates Putu Oka's life-long struggle
Christina Schott, Contributor, Jakarta
There is no need for history to be straight like a ruler, but under the repression of the New Order, history was forced to be black and white, all for the sake of the continuity of the regime's power.
"I reject this! History is a dialectical anthology of dynamics": thus Putu Oka Sukanta introduces Wounded Longing, his latest short story collection. The collection is also the first of his works published in the English language, on the occasion of the Ubud Readers and Writers Festival last October.
The anthology contains 13 short stories written between 1977 and 2002.
"I really know what it feels like to be discriminated and stigmatized," the former political prisoner said. "That's why I fight for all victims of injustice."
As a freelance writer and an alleged member of the People's Cultural Institute (Lekra), a cultural organization that was linked to the communist party, Putu Oka was imprisoned in Jakarta from 1965 to 1976. One of the hardest trials he faced during this time was the complete banning of pen and paper.
His tales consequently deal much with modern Indonesian history: the fate of people involved in the vicious events following the rise of the New Order regime in 1965; the experiences of former political prisoners returning home after decades in prison, still feeling watched and betrayed by all that approached too close; the destiny of a people exploited by unjust rulers seeking to advantage only themselves.
Although the protagonists and characters vary, many show an autobiographical resemblance to the 65-year-old author. For example, the title story "Wounded Longing", written in the first person, follows a narrator longing to go home after an indefinite time in prison. His elder brother, however, obviously involved in the 1965 massacre of communists, judges the timing "not yet right". So the family meets at an anonymous hotel, where the narrator learns about the murders and injustices that took place in his village -- and he decides he doesn't want to go home any more.
A little more conciliatory is the "Bride of Light", written in 2002, in which the narrator visits the infamous Lubang Buaya (crocodile hole) for the first time. According to the New Order government, this empty well was where the corpses of seven senior military men were dumped after they were murdered by the communists.
During a silent dialog with these "heroes of the revolution", the narrator meets a woman who appears to behave suspiciously toward him. She reveals herself to be the daughter of one of the murdered generals. A victim, just like him, she is searching for the truth behind the historical scenario.
Putu Oka, born the son of a Singaraja farmer, also sets many of his stories on the island of Bali, relating the strong traditions inherent in village life and the deep spirituality of the Balinese people. But always, behind the pleasant facade of idyllic landscapes and colorful ceremonies hide demons.
"Mangku Dauh", for example, describes the exciting preparations before a cockfight -- and leads to a surprising and tragic end. This juxtaposition also occurs in "Made Jepun", opening with a beautiful morning scene that slowly reveals the disaster in the life of a simple farmer's family.
"The Moon Goddess has Fallen in Batam", another story from the collection, is about Dr. Niah, the female protagonist from Putu Oka's novel Di Atas Siang, di Bawah Malam (Above the day, beneath the night), which was published last year. Niah is a doctor who helps sex workers stranded on Batam Island, fighting illnesses like HIV/AIDS and social prejudices. (Putu Oka himself is a well- known acupuncturist and naturopathic doctor who has gained international recognition for his dedication -- be it through writing or healing -- to people with HIV/AIDS.)
At the end of the story, the author explains through Niah that the Moon Goddess went mad as she pretended to fight the unbearable pressures of social oppression.
Putu Oka, however, did not go mad under the social and political oppression. Instead, as he once wrote in an essay, he used "writing as a struggle for life" and survived. Wounded Longing is an illustration of his 25-year struggle.