Subagio Sastrowardoyo

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Subagio Sastrowardoyo
Born February 1, 1924
Madiun, East Java, Dutch East Indies
Died July 18, 1995
Occupation poet, short-story writer, essayist, literary critic
Nationality Indonesian (Javanese)
Writing period 20th century
Genres lyrical poetry

Subagio Sastrowardoyo (February 1, 1924-July 18, 1995) was an Indonesian poet[1], short-story writer, essayist and literary critic. Born in Madiun, East Java, the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia), he was educated at Gadjah Mada University, Cornell University and Yale University. For many years, he was a director of Balai Pustaka, a publishing firm in Indonesia, as well as a senior lecturer at Salisbury College of Advanced Education and Flinders University in Adelaide, South Australia. In the summer of 1984, he was a guest instructor at Ohio University, teaching Indonesian.

Contents

[edit] Family

Mr. Sastrowardoyo was a son (the 11th of 14 children) of Raden Mas Sutejo Sastrowardoyo (1876-1968), a wedono of the Uteran District in Madiun[2], and Raden Ayu Ratna Suyati Sastrowardoyo (née Kartokusumo) (1887-1980), a noblewoman descended from a minister of the Majapahit Empire. His wife was Sumarni Sastrowardoyo (?-2002). They are survived by three children -- Saraswati Sastrowardoyo[3], Rukmiati (also known as Minuk) Richards and Prakoso Sastrowardoyo – and two grandchildren, Anton Nortkus and Kristof Nortkus.

Mr. Sastrowardoyo's siblings included Prof. Mr. Soenario, S.H., minister of foreign affairs from 1953 to 1955; Dra. Sukanti Suryochondro, a former instructor in women's studies at the University of Indonesia; Subekti Sastrowardojo, who died in infancy during the 1918 influenza pandemic; Suryono Sastrowardoyo, a career diplomat whose posts included Singapore, Italy, the United States and Poland; Dr. Sumarsono Sastrowardoyo, a physician, surgeon and memoirist; and Sumarsongko H. Sastrowardoyo, M.A., formerly of the staff of the Consulate General of Indonesia in New York City. (Subagio had been the best man at his brother Sumarsongko's wedding in 1962.)

His family name was derived from sastra (Sanskrit, writings) and wardaya (Sanskrit, heart), so literally meant "writings of the heart." In the old Dutch spelling, the family name had been spelled Sastrowardojo but, even prior to the spelling reform in Indonesia in 1972, some members had changed the j to a y -- and one brother, Sudibbyo, spelled the name Sastrowardhoyo, reflecting the aspirant d.

Mr. Sastrowardoyo's first name has also been spelled Soebagio and Soebagyo.

His father, Sutejo Sastrowardoyo, traced the family's ancestry back to 15th century Java.

[edit] Awards and legacy

In 1986, Mr. Sastrowardoyo, as a representative of Balai Pustaka, presented the Pegasus Prize for Literature to Ismail Marahimin, author of And the War is Over, in New York City[4].

In 1987 he was one of the founders of the Lontar Foundation.

Mr. Sastrowardoyo was awarded the S.E.A. Write Award in 1991.

A year after his death, Mr. Sastrowardoyo was quoted in an essay by Barbara Crossette for the Week in Review section of The New York Times:

A few years ago, [John] McGlynn's foundation collected Indonesians' impressions of the United States, many of them unsettling, in a book called On Foreign Shores. One of the poets, Ajip Rosidi, reacted to New York in a poem titled "Manhattan Sonnet." "Is it within these strong and rigid walls / one's sense of safety nestles? / All I find here is vigilance, the source of apprehension." His compatriot Subagio Sastrowardoyo wrote about a city "where life is cheap." New York's greed, he said, "has made this place too confined for prayer or a human voice."[5]

President Megawati Sukarnoputri posthumously awarded Mr. Sastrowardoyo the Satya Lencana medal in the field of literature in (year?)

The Australian composer Betty Beath based a composition, "Manusia Pertama di Angkasa Luar...The First Man in Outer Space" on a poem by Subagio Sastrowardoyo.[6] The composition is included on the CD Music from Six Continents (see bibliography).

[edit] Bibliography

[edit] Poetry

  • Simphoni (1957)
  • Daerah Perbatasan (1970)
  • Keroncong Motinggo (1975)
  • Buku Harian (1979)
  • Hari dan Hara (1982)
  • Kematian Makin Akrab (1995).

[edit] Literary Criticism

  • Sastra Hindia Belanda dan Kita (1990)

[edit] Anthologies

  • On Foreign Shores: American Images in Indonesian Poetry. Jakarta: Lontar Foundation, 1990. ISBN 979-8083-02-4 ISBN 978-9798083020
  • John H. McGlynn and E.U. Kratz, eds., Walking Westward in Morning: Seven Contemporary Indonesian Poets. School of Oriental & African Studies, 1990. ISBN 979-8083-03-2
  • John H. McGlynn, ed., Menagerie 1. 1992. ISBN 979-407-238-9 Jakarta: Lontar Foundation, 2006. ISBN 9798083075 ISBN 978-9798083075
  • Iem Brown and Joan Davis, eds., Di Serambi/On the Verandah: A Bilingual Anthology of Modern Indonesian Poetry. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1995. ISBN 978-0-521-47202-9
  • Erica Manh, comp. Sharing Fruit: An Anthology of Asian and Australian Writing. Melbourne: Curriculum Corporation, 1998. ISBN 1863663851

[edit] Audio Recordings

CDs

  • Betty Beath; Glen Roger Davis, David Fetherolf and Anthony Vazzana, composers. Music from Six Continents (1995 Series). Ruben Silva, cond. Moravian Philharmonic Orchestra. Vienna Modern Master, 1995. ASIN: B000004A71

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Malaysian Wikipedia entry on Indonesian Literature
  2. ^ IN/BIO: TEMPO - Subagio Sastrowardo
  3. ^ University of South Australia staff webpage
  4. ^ Rahadyan Sastrowardoyo account on Flickr
  5. ^ Crossette, Barbara. "Introspection and Repression: Why Indonesia Isn't Talking." The New York Times, 23 June 1996.
  6. ^ Betty Beath and David Cox website