Chairil Anwar
Encyclopedia
Chairil Anwar was an Indonesia
n poet and member of the "1945 generation" of writers. He is estimated to have written 96 works, including 70 individual poems.
Anwar was born and raised in Medan
, North Sumatra
, before moving to Batavia
with his mother in 1940, where he began to enter the local literary circles. After publishing his first poem in 1942, Anwar continued to write. However, his poems were at times censored by the Japanese, then occupying Indonesia. Living rebelliously, Anwar wrote extensively, often about death. He died in Jakarta of an unknown illness.
His work dealt with various themes, including death, individualism
, and existentialism
, and were often multi-interpretable. Drawing influence from foreign poets, Anwar used everyday language and new syntax to write his poetry, which has been noted as aiding the development of the Indonesian language
. His poems were often constructed irregularly, but with individual patterns.
, North Sumatra
on 26 July 1922. As a child, he was hard-headed and unwilling to lose at anything; this was reflective of his parents' personalities. He was also spoiled by his parents. He attended local schools for native Indonesians, until dropping out at the age of 18 or earlier. Anwar later said that he had known he wanted to be an artist since the age of 15, having already written poetry in the then-dominant style.
After his parents' divorce, his father continued to financially support him and his mother, who moved to Batavia
(Jakarta after Indonesia's independence). Although originally intending to continue his schooling, he eventually dropped out again. In Batavia he mixed with many rich Indo
children, as well as the local literary scene. Despite him not finishing his schooling, he was capable of actively using English, Dutch, and German.
After Anwar's poem "Nisan" ("Grave"; reputedly his first), inspired by his grandmother's death, was published in 1942, Anwar gained recognition. However, his poems were at times still rejected. For example, in 1943, when he first approached the magazine Pandji Pustaka to submit his poems, most were rejected for being too individualistic and not keeping with the spirit of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
. However, some, including the poem "Diponegoro", were able to pass the censors. During this period he continued associating with other writers, trading ideas and later becoming a leader amongst them. He later established the magazine Gema Gelanggang. He wrote his last poem, "Cemara Menderai Sampai Jauh" ("Fir Trees Are Sown Off Into the Distance"), in 1949.
Anwar died in CBZ Hospital (now R.S. Ciptomangunkusomo), Jakarta, on 28 April 1949; the following day, he was buried at Karet Bivak Cemetery
. His cause of death is uncertain, with some suggesting typhus
, some syphilis
, and some suggesting a combination of the two as well as tuberculosis
. Dutch scholar of Indonesian literature
A. Teeuw suggests that Anwar was aware that he would die young, pointing to "Jang Terampas dan Jang Putus" ("The Seized and the Broken"), which has a theme of surrender, and predicts that he will be buried in Karet.
During his lifetime Anwar wrote approximately 94 works, including seventy poems. Most of those were unpublished at the time of his death, but were later collected in several collections of his work published posthumously. Of these, Anwar considered only 13 to be truly good poems. The first published was Deru Tjampur Debu (Roar Mixed with Dust), which was followed by Kerikil Tadjam (Sharp Pebbles) and Jang Terampas dan Jang Putus; all of these were published by Pustaka Rakyat. Although several poems in those collections had the same title, they were slightly different. The most celebrated of his works is "Aku" ("Me").
that reflects Anwar's radicalism, which permeated all aspects of his life. Individual poems, though at times full of excitement, generally reflect a fear of death or depression, to the point that it is impossible to identify "the true Chairil [Anwar]".
Aside from that, Anwar's works are multi-interpretable, with every reader able to take what they want from his poems; Teeuw notes that the Japanese overlords
read "Diponegoro" as a challenge to white colonialists, Indonesia's Christians
read "Doa" ("Prayer") and "Isa" ("Jesus") as proof that Anwar had a positive view of Christianity, and Indonesia's Muslims
read "Dimesjid" ("At the Mosque") as proof that Anwar "met with Allah in a mosque and fought with Him".
Teeuw also notes that Anwar's early works heavily show the influence of Hendrik Marsman
, while other works harken back to Rainer Maria Rilke
, J. Slauerhoff
, and Xu Zhimo
. Muhammad Balfas notes that Anwar was an "intellectual poet", with his works being "detached".
of Indonesian
, using prefixes and suffixes to make the language more dynamic and give a stronger impression. His use of the language, shifting away from the classic Malay
influence and showing the influence of Dutch and English loanwords, influenced the later development of the language, showing the weaknesses of contemporary Indonesian.
According to Tinuk Yampolsky of the Lontar Foundation
, Anwar's western influence is representative of the 1945 Generation. The previous generation had mainly been influenced by traditional verse and nationalism, while the 1945 Generation, including Anwar, dealt with Western-influenced individualism and existentialism
.
Balfas notes that Anwar was capable of using foreign "ideas, images, and atmosphere" in his poems, generally from the West but in one poem clearly Japanese. His writing style is generally not traditional. Many poems have a mixture of short, stand-alone lines with long linked lines; however, in each individual poem there is a "definite form" which can be seen. Only three of Anwar's poems, "Kepada Peminta-Peminta" ("To the Askers"), "?", and "Cemara Menderai Sampai Jauh", follow the traditional four line patter.
. He notes that one of instances was due to necessity, as at the time Anwar needed the money to pay for a vaccination. Balfas notes that even though Anwar evidently used other people's poems as the basis for some of his, he generally changed them enough and brought new ideas to make them his own.
Teeuw notes that by 1980 more had been written about Anwar than any other Indonesian writer. He also notes that many of them were essays written by young writers, intent on discovering themselves through Anwar's works. Teeuw himself describes Anwar as "the perfect poet".
Leftist critics, including those of Lekra, see Anwar's Westernized individualism as being against the spirit of the Indonesian National Revolution
, which they define as being for the people.
Anwar's poems have been translated into English, French, and Dutch. The anniversary of his death is celebrated as National Literature Day.
notes that his first impression of Anwar when the latter submitted his poetry to Pandji Pustaka in 1943 was that Anwar "was thin, pale, and seemed unkempt". Anwar's eyes were "red, [and] somewhat wild, but always like he was lost in thought", while his movements were like "one who simply did not care".
Yampolsky notes that Anwar provided numerous anecdotes for his friends due to his eccentricities, including kleptomania
, plagiarism, womanizing, and being constantly ill. This was worked into the characterization of Anwar in Achdiat Karta Mihardja
's novel Ateis; Anwar's friend Nasjah Djamin notes that the characterization captured Anwar's nonchalance, impoliteness, and arrogance exactly.
Indonesia
Indonesia , officially the Republic of Indonesia , is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania. Indonesia is an archipelago comprising approximately 13,000 islands. It has 33 provinces with over 238 million people, and is the world's fourth most populous country. Indonesia is a republic, with an...
n poet and member of the "1945 generation" of writers. He is estimated to have written 96 works, including 70 individual poems.
Anwar was born and raised in Medan
Medan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
, North Sumatra
North Sumatra
North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
, before moving to Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
with his mother in 1940, where he began to enter the local literary circles. After publishing his first poem in 1942, Anwar continued to write. However, his poems were at times censored by the Japanese, then occupying Indonesia. Living rebelliously, Anwar wrote extensively, often about death. He died in Jakarta of an unknown illness.
His work dealt with various themes, including death, individualism
Individualism
Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology, or social outlook that stresses "the moral worth of the individual". Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and so value independence and self-reliance while opposing most external interference upon one's own...
, and existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
, and were often multi-interpretable. Drawing influence from foreign poets, Anwar used everyday language and new syntax to write his poetry, which has been noted as aiding the development of the Indonesian language
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
. His poems were often constructed irregularly, but with individual patterns.
Biography
Anwar was born in MedanMedan
- Demography :The city is Indonesia's fourth most populous after Jakarta, Surabaya, and Bandung, and Indonesia's largest city outside of Java island. Much of the population lies outside its city limits, especially in Deli Serdang....
, North Sumatra
North Sumatra
North Sumatra is a province of Indonesia on the Sumatra island. Its capital is Medan. It is the most populous Indonesian province outside of Java. It is slightly larger than Sri Lanka in area.- Geography and population :...
on 26 July 1922. As a child, he was hard-headed and unwilling to lose at anything; this was reflective of his parents' personalities. He was also spoiled by his parents. He attended local schools for native Indonesians, until dropping out at the age of 18 or earlier. Anwar later said that he had known he wanted to be an artist since the age of 15, having already written poetry in the then-dominant style.
After his parents' divorce, his father continued to financially support him and his mother, who moved to Batavia
Jakarta
Jakarta is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Officially known as the Special Capital Territory of Jakarta, it is located on the northwest coast of Java, has an area of , and a population of 9,580,000. Jakarta is the country's economic, cultural and political centre...
(Jakarta after Indonesia's independence). Although originally intending to continue his schooling, he eventually dropped out again. In Batavia he mixed with many rich Indo
Indo
Indo or Indo-European people is a term, used since the 19th century, to describe a Eurasian people of mixed European and indigenous Indonesian ancestry...
children, as well as the local literary scene. Despite him not finishing his schooling, he was capable of actively using English, Dutch, and German.
After Anwar's poem "Nisan" ("Grave"; reputedly his first), inspired by his grandmother's death, was published in 1942, Anwar gained recognition. However, his poems were at times still rejected. For example, in 1943, when he first approached the magazine Pandji Pustaka to submit his poems, most were rejected for being too individualistic and not keeping with the spirit of the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere
The Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere was a concept created and promulgated during the Shōwa era by the government and military of the Empire of Japan. It represented the desire to create a self-sufficient "bloc of Asian nations led by the Japanese and free of Western powers"...
. However, some, including the poem "Diponegoro", were able to pass the censors. During this period he continued associating with other writers, trading ideas and later becoming a leader amongst them. He later established the magazine Gema Gelanggang. He wrote his last poem, "Cemara Menderai Sampai Jauh" ("Fir Trees Are Sown Off Into the Distance"), in 1949.
Anwar died in CBZ Hospital (now R.S. Ciptomangunkusomo), Jakarta, on 28 April 1949; the following day, he was buried at Karet Bivak Cemetery
Karet Bivak Cemetery
Karet Bivak is a cemetery in Jakarta, Indonesia. It is the second largest in the city.-Description:Karet Bivak is located in Central Jakarta, Jakarta. It covers an area of , making it the second-largest cemetery in Jakarta. In 2007 it contained approximately 48,000 graves...
. His cause of death is uncertain, with some suggesting typhus
Typhus
Epidemic typhus is a form of typhus so named because the disease often causes epidemics following wars and natural disasters...
, some syphilis
Syphilis
Syphilis is a sexually transmitted infection caused by the spirochete bacterium Treponema pallidum subspecies pallidum. The primary route of transmission is through sexual contact; however, it may also be transmitted from mother to fetus during pregnancy or at birth, resulting in congenital syphilis...
, and some suggesting a combination of the two as well as tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. Dutch scholar of Indonesian literature
Indonesian literature
Indonesian literature, is a term grouping various genres of South-East Asian literature.Indonesian Literature can refer to literature produced in the Indonesian archipelago. It is also used to refer more broadly to literature produced in areas with common language roots based on the Malay language...
A. Teeuw suggests that Anwar was aware that he would die young, pointing to "Jang Terampas dan Jang Putus" ("The Seized and the Broken"), which has a theme of surrender, and predicts that he will be buried in Karet.
During his lifetime Anwar wrote approximately 94 works, including seventy poems. Most of those were unpublished at the time of his death, but were later collected in several collections of his work published posthumously. Of these, Anwar considered only 13 to be truly good poems. The first published was Deru Tjampur Debu (Roar Mixed with Dust), which was followed by Kerikil Tadjam (Sharp Pebbles) and Jang Terampas dan Jang Putus; all of these were published by Pustaka Rakyat. Although several poems in those collections had the same title, they were slightly different. The most celebrated of his works is "Aku" ("Me").
Themes
Teeuw notes that it is difficult, if not impossible, to identify a single theme which unites all of Anwar's work, as his poems reflect his state of mind at the time of writing. Teeuw writes that the only feature common to all of Anwar's work is an intensity and joie de vivreJoie de vivre
Joie de vivre is a French phrase often used in English to express a cheerful enjoyment of life; an exultation of spirit. Joie de vivre"can be a joy of conversation, joy of eating, joy of anything one might do… And joie de vivre may be seen as a joy of everything, a comprehensive joy, a philosophy...
that reflects Anwar's radicalism, which permeated all aspects of his life. Individual poems, though at times full of excitement, generally reflect a fear of death or depression, to the point that it is impossible to identify "the true Chairil [Anwar]".
Aside from that, Anwar's works are multi-interpretable, with every reader able to take what they want from his poems; Teeuw notes that the Japanese overlords
Japanese Occupation of Indonesia
The Japanese Empire occupied Indonesia, known then as the Dutch East Indies, during World War II from March 1942 until after the end of War in 1945...
read "Diponegoro" as a challenge to white colonialists, Indonesia's Christians
Christianity in Indonesia
Christianity in Indonesia is the country's second-largest religion, after Islam. About 7% of the population of Indonesia are Protestants, 3% are Catholics, with around 86% Muslims.-Distribution:...
read "Doa" ("Prayer") and "Isa" ("Jesus") as proof that Anwar had a positive view of Christianity, and Indonesia's Muslims
Islam in Indonesia
Islam is the dominant religion in Indonesia, which also has a larger Muslim population than any other country in the world, with approximately 202.9 million identified as Muslim as of 2009....
read "Dimesjid" ("At the Mosque") as proof that Anwar "met with Allah in a mosque and fought with Him".
Teeuw also notes that Anwar's early works heavily show the influence of Hendrik Marsman
Hendrik Marsman
Hendrik Marsman was a Dutch poet and writer. He drowned while escaping to Great Britain, when the ship he was on was torpedoed by a German submarine....
, while other works harken back to Rainer Maria Rilke
Rainer Maria Rilke
René Karl Wilhelm Johann Josef Maria Rilke , better known as Rainer Maria Rilke, was a Bohemian–Austrian poet. He is considered one of the most significant poets in the German language...
, J. Slauerhoff
J. Slauerhoff
Jan Jacob Slauerhoff, who published as J. Slauerhoff, was a Dutch poet and novelist. He is considered one of the most important Dutch language writers.-Youth:...
, and Xu Zhimo
Xu Zhimo
Xu Zhimo was an early 20th century Chinese poet. He was given the name of Zhangxu and the courtesy name of Yousen . He later changed his courtesy name to Zhimo ....
. Muhammad Balfas notes that Anwar was an "intellectual poet", with his works being "detached".
Style
Teeuw writes that Anwar used everyday language in his poetry, which is emphasized by using it in an unusual manner. Anwar also exploited the morphologyMorphology (linguistics)
In linguistics, morphology is the identification, analysis and description, in a language, of the structure of morphemes and other linguistic units, such as words, affixes, parts of speech, intonation/stress, or implied context...
of Indonesian
Indonesian language
Indonesian is the official language of Indonesia. Indonesian is a normative form of the Riau Islands dialect of Malay, an Austronesian language which has been used as a lingua franca in the Indonesian archipelago for centuries....
, using prefixes and suffixes to make the language more dynamic and give a stronger impression. His use of the language, shifting away from the classic Malay
Malay language
Malay is a major language of the Austronesian family. It is the official language of Malaysia , Indonesia , Brunei and Singapore...
influence and showing the influence of Dutch and English loanwords, influenced the later development of the language, showing the weaknesses of contemporary Indonesian.
According to Tinuk Yampolsky of the Lontar Foundation
Lontar Foundation
The Lontar Foundation, a not-for-profit organization based in Jakarta, Indonesia, was founded in 1987 by four Indonesian writers: Goenawan Mohamad, Sapardi Djoko Damono, Umar Kayam, and Subagio Sastrowardoyo and the American translator, John H...
, Anwar's western influence is representative of the 1945 Generation. The previous generation had mainly been influenced by traditional verse and nationalism, while the 1945 Generation, including Anwar, dealt with Western-influenced individualism and existentialism
Existentialism
Existentialism is a term applied to a school of 19th- and 20th-century philosophers who, despite profound doctrinal differences, shared the belief that philosophical thinking begins with the human subject—not merely the thinking subject, but the acting, feeling, living human individual...
.
Balfas notes that Anwar was capable of using foreign "ideas, images, and atmosphere" in his poems, generally from the West but in one poem clearly Japanese. His writing style is generally not traditional. Many poems have a mixture of short, stand-alone lines with long linked lines; however, in each individual poem there is a "definite form" which can be seen. Only three of Anwar's poems, "Kepada Peminta-Peminta" ("To the Askers"), "?", and "Cemara Menderai Sampai Jauh", follow the traditional four line patter.
Controversy
Teeuw writes that Anwar came under fire after his death for plagiarismPlagiarism
Plagiarism is defined in dictionaries as the "wrongful appropriation," "close imitation," or "purloining and publication" of another author's "language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions," and the representation of them as one's own original work, but the notion remains problematic with nebulous...
. He notes that one of instances was due to necessity, as at the time Anwar needed the money to pay for a vaccination. Balfas notes that even though Anwar evidently used other people's poems as the basis for some of his, he generally changed them enough and brought new ideas to make them his own.
Legacy
Leftist critics, including those of Lekra, see Anwar's Westernized individualism as being against the spirit of the Indonesian National Revolution
Indonesian National Revolution
The Indonesian National Revolution or Indonesian War of Independence was an armed conflict and diplomatic struggle between Indonesia and the Dutch Empire, and an internal social revolution...
, which they define as being for the people.
Anwar's poems have been translated into English, French, and Dutch. The anniversary of his death is celebrated as National Literature Day.
Personal life
HB JassinHB Jassin
Hans Bague Jassin , better known as HB Jassin, was an Indonesian literary critic, documentarian, and professor. Born in Gorontalo to a bibliophilic petroleum company employee, Jassin began reading while still in elementary school, later writing published reviews before finishing high school...
notes that his first impression of Anwar when the latter submitted his poetry to Pandji Pustaka in 1943 was that Anwar "was thin, pale, and seemed unkempt". Anwar's eyes were "red, [and] somewhat wild, but always like he was lost in thought", while his movements were like "one who simply did not care".
Yampolsky notes that Anwar provided numerous anecdotes for his friends due to his eccentricities, including kleptomania
Kleptomania
Kleptomania is an irresistible urge to steal items of trivial value. People with this disorder are compelled to steal things, generally, but not limited to, objects of little or no significant value, such as pens, paper clips, paper and tape...
, plagiarism, womanizing, and being constantly ill. This was worked into the characterization of Anwar in Achdiat Karta Mihardja
Achdiat Karta Mihardja
Achdiat Karta Mihardja was an Indonesian author, novelist and playwright. He is best known for his novel, Atheist, which was published in 1949. Atheist is considered one of Indonesia's most important literary works following World War II.| image = 09achdiat.gifMihardja was born on March 6, 1911,...
's novel Ateis; Anwar's friend Nasjah Djamin notes that the characterization captured Anwar's nonchalance, impoliteness, and arrogance exactly.