Sitor Situmorang facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sitor Situmorang
|
|
|---|---|
Situmorang, c. 1955
|
|
| Born | 2 October 1923 Harianboho, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies |
| Died | 21 December 2014 (aged 91) Apeldoorn, Netherlands |
| Occupation | poet, writer, journalist, university lector |
| Language | Indonesian |
| Nationality |  Indonesia Netherlands |
| Genre | poetry, short story, drama, essay, autobiography |
| Subject | Batak people, and others |
| Literary movement | 45 |
| Notable works | Surat Kertas Hijau |
Sitor Situmorang (born October 2, 1923 – died December 21, 2014) was an important Indonesian writer. He was a poet, essayist, and wrote many short stories.
Sitor was born in Harianboho, a place in North Sumatra, Indonesia. He later studied in Jakarta, the capital city. He worked as a journalist and also wrote about books and literature. He did this in different cities like Medan, Yogyakarta, and Jakarta.
Many people, including a Dutch expert named A. Teeuw, thought Sitor was Indonesia's best poet from the "Generation of '45." This was a group of writers who became famous around Indonesia's independence in 1945. Even though he was influenced by European ideas, Sitor was still very connected to his own Batak culture.
Contents
Growing Up and Early Life
Sitor Situmorang was born in 1923 in North Tapanuli, North Sumatra. He later moved to Jakarta to go to high school. After finishing school, he traveled to the United States. There, he studied how to make movies at the University of California from 1956 to 1957.
When Sitor was young, Indonesia was ruled by the Dutch. Only a few people could get a European-style education. Because of this, Sitor mostly studied European books and the Dutch language in high school. This made him feel strongly about his own country, Indonesia.
When he was 15, he was inspired to translate a poem called "Saijah and Adinda." This poem was part of a famous Dutch book called Max Havelaar. He translated it from Dutch into Batak, his first language. Even though his Dutch was not perfect for literature, this was the start of his interest in writing. He began reading more and more Indonesian and Western books. This made him want to become a writer himself.
His Career as a Writer
Sitor started his career as a journalist in North Sumatra. He worked for newspapers like Suara Nasional (1945–1946) and Waspada (1947). He then moved to Yogyakarta and later worked for other newspapers.
His first poem was called "Kaliurang." He wrote it in 1948 and it was published in a magazine. This was ten years after he translated the poem by Multatuli. In the same year, he also wrote a review of a book of poems called Gema Tanah Air.
From 1950 to 1953, Sitor lived in Amsterdam and Paris. He went there to learn about European cultures with a scholarship. His time in Paris especially influenced some of his works. These include a collection of short stories called Pertempuran dan Salju di Paris (1956) and a book of poems called Paris la Nuit (2002).
In 1954, he published a collection of poems called Surat Kertas Hijau (Green Paper Letters). In these poems, he wrote about his feelings and thoughts on love and what it meant to be Indonesian. This book made him a very well-known and respected poet.
From the 1950s, Sitor was very active in discussions about Indonesian culture. He talked with famous people like the American author Richard Wright. Sitor became an important member of the Institute of National Culture (LKN). This group was closely connected to Sukarno, who was the President of Indonesia at that time.
After Sukarno was no longer president in 1965, Sitor was put in prison in 1967. He was held without a trial until 1976. Later, from 1982 to 1990, he taught the Indonesian language at Leiden University in the Netherlands. Sitor Situmorang passed away on December 21, 2014, at his home in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. He was 91 years old.
His Important Works
Sitor Situmorang won awards for his writing. He received awards for his short story collection Pertempuran dan Salju di Paris (Struggle and Snow in Paris) in 1956. He also won an award for his poem collection Peta Perjalanan (Travel Guide) in 1976.
Some of his works have been translated into other languages. For example, Paris La Nuit (Paris at Night, 2001) was translated into French, English, and Russian. His complete short stories have also been translated and published in English by Silkworm Books. These are in two books: Oceans of Longing: Nine Stories (2018) and Red Gerberas: Short Stories (2018).
Collections of Poems
- Surat Kertas Hijau (Green Paper Letters), (1953)
- Dalam Sajak (In Poems), (1954)
- Wajah Tak Bernama (Face Without a Name), (1955)
- Zaman Baru (A New Era), (1962)
- Dinding Waktu (Wall of Time), (1977)
- Peta Perjalanan (Travel Guide), (1977) – This book won a Poetry Award.
- The Rites of the Bali Aga, (1977)
- Angin Danau (Lake Wind), 1982
- Bunga di Atas Batu: Si Anak Hilang (Flowers on Stone: The Prodigal Son), 1989
- Rindu Kelana (To Love, To Wander), 1993 – translated into English in 1996.
- Paris La Nuit, 2000
- Lembah Kekal (Eternal Valley), 2004
- Biksu Tak Berjubah (Monk Without Cassock), 2004
- Si Anak Hilang (The Lost Child)
Collections of Short Stories
- Pertempuran dan Salju di Paris (Struggle and Snow in Paris), (1956) – This book won a national literature award.
- Pangeran (The Prince), (1963)
- Danau Toba (The Lake Toba), (1981)
- Oceans of Longing: Nine Stories (2018)
- Red Gerberas: Short Stories (2018)
Other Works
- Jalan Mutiara (Road of Pearls, a collection of plays), (1954)
- Sastra Revolusioner, (a collection of essays), (1965)
- Sitor Situmorang Sastrawan 45, Penyair Danau Toba, (his autobiography), (1981)
- Toba na Sae (1993), (a local history book)
- Guru Somalaing dan Modigliani Utusan Raja Rom, (1993), (another local history book).
- Betlehem (1954) by M. Nijhoff, (a translation he did)
- Rindu Kelana (The Need to Wander), (2004) (a short documentary about him)
