Bakri Siregar | |
|---|---|
 Siregar in 1980 | |
| Born | (1922-12-14)14 December 1922 |
| Died | 19 June 1994(1994-06-19) (aged 71) Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Nationality |  Indonesia |
| Known for | criticism of Indonesian literature, short story and playwright |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | literary criticism |
| Institutions | University of Warsaw,University of North Sumatra,Peking University |
Bakri Siregar (14 December 1922 – 19 June 1994) was an Indonesiansocialist literary critic and writer.
Siregar was born inLangsa,Aceh,Dutch East Indies, on 14 December 1922.[1] He was active writing by theJapanese occupation in the early 1940s, as evidenced by one of his short stories, "Tanda Bahagia" ("Sign of Happiness"), being published inAsia Raja on 1 September 1944.[2]
AfterIndonesia's independence, Siregar went to theSoviet Union to further study socialism. He considered their system efficient and beneficial to the populace, which reaffirmed his ideology. He also praised Soviet writers who rejectedcosmopolitanism andabstractionism.[3] He published several dramas after returning to Indonesia, including the originalTugu Putih (White Monument; 1950),Dosa dan Hukuman (Sin and Punishment, based onCrime and Punishment byFyodor Dostoyevsky), andGadis Teratai (Lotus Blossom Maiden, based on aKorean folktale).[4]
By 1951 Siregar had reachedMedan, the capital ofNorth Sumatra. While there, he took up a position as a high school teacher and, in 1952, joined the leftist orientedInstitute of People's Culture (Lembaga Kebudajaan Rakjat, or Lekra).[5] Siregar published his first analysis of Indonesian literature,Ceramah Sastra (Lectures on Literature), in 1952.[6] In 1953 he published a collection of short stories, entitledJejak Langkah (Footsteps);[7] that same year, he became the head of the North Sumatran branch of Lekra.[5] The following year he released the stageplaySaijah dan Adinda, based on a story in Dutch authorMultatuli's novelMax Havelaar.[7] While a high school teacher, Siregar used his position to spot upcoming actors and direct them to Lekra's stage production company Dinamo.[5]
From 1956 until 1957, Siregar taught Indonesian language at theUniversity of Warsaw inPoland. Afterwards, he returned to Indonesia and taught Indonesian at theUniversity of North Sumatra inMedan until 1959. His final teaching position was as a lecturer on the history of Indonesian literature atPeking University inChina, a position which he held until 1962. While he was inPeking, he also sat on Lekra's board of directors; after returning to Indonesia in 1962, he continued in this capacity and in 1965 became the institute's director. In 1964 he publishedSedjarah Sastera Indonesia Modern I (History of Modern Indonesian Literature I).[7]Sedjarah focused on theBalai Pustaka andPoedjangga Baroe eras and applied a strongMarxist view. The work was the first history of Indonesian literature, as well as the last published work to apply Marxist theory to Indonesian literature up until 2000.[8]
After thefailedcoup d'état – described by the government as having been led by theIndonesian Communist Party – on 30 September 1965, leftists were hunted by the military and the general public, while such institutions were closed. Siregar himself was arrested and spent twelve years in prison.[7] His manuscript from the period,Angkatan-Angkatan dalam Sastra Indonesia (Periods in Indonesian Literature), remains unpublished.[9]
Siregar died inJakarta on 19 June 1994.[1]
Siregar definedIndonesian literature as works written in Indonesian which reflected the nation's struggle for continued independence.[10] Although he recognised earlier literary works in local languages andMalay, he believed that modern Indonesian literature began with theIndonesian National Awakening in the 1920s.[11] He viewed the early institutions of Indonesian literature poorly, describing Balai Pustaka as using "language politics, ... used to divide the Indonesian people on ethnic lines"[a][12] whilePoedjangga Baroe was described as a bourgeois work which was unable to objectively understand the needs of the people and therefore unfit to truly reflect the struggle for independence.[13]
Siregar divided Indonesian literature into four periods, as follows:[14]
After the 30 September Movement failed, the Indonesian Communist Party, its followers, and other leftists were written out of historySoeharto'sNew Order government. Siregar's writings, although influential in their time, were also buried.[15] HisSedjarah was banned, and as of 2010[update] was still difficult to obtain.[16]
