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From: JoyoNews2 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
Date: Jan 20, 2008 2:30 PM
The Star Online (Malaysia)
Sunday January 20, 2008
Layered masterpiece
Review by AZMI SHAROM
A new English translation of one of Pramoedya Ananta Toer's
works reveals a story that is still as relevant today as it was
when it was composed in the 1960s.
AROK OF JAVA By Pramoedya Ananta Toer, translated by Max Lane
Publisher: Horizon Books, 387 pages ISBN: 978-9810580452
THE life of Indonesian journalist and author Pramoedya Ananta
Toer is nothing short of awe inspiring. Despite the harshest of
treatments, first by colonial Dutch authorities and then by
Indonesian dictator Suharto, he lived his life with his ideals
intact. Even more impressive is that he was able to express
those ideals in beautiful works of literature created under
unimaginably harsh conditions.
Imprisoned with hundreds of other political prisoners on Buru
Island in 1965 by Suharto, Pramoedya faced living conditions
that can only be described as brutal. Though "imprisoned" is
perhaps a misleading term as there was no prison as such. They
were simply dumped on an island from which there was no escape
and were expected to survive on their own.
Amidst this struggle to survive, with no access to any writing
material, he was able to produce the famous Buru Quartet.
The Quartet comprises This Earth of Mankind, Child of All
Nations, Footsteps, and House of Glass. Together, they tell the
tale of Indonesia's nationalist awakening in the 20th century
through the eyes of their main protagonist, Minke, a young man
whose personal experiences reflect those of the emerging nation
he was a part of.
Pramoedya composed the tales in his mind and recited them to his
fellow prisoners. Only upon his release 14 years later did they
see print. They were then duly banned by the Suharto regime,
supposedly for having communist messages embedded in them.
Embedded so deeply and subtly that the Indonesian Government was
completely unable to identify said elements....
The achievement of authoring the Buru Quartet, Pramoedya's most
celebrated works, is an astounding one, but there is more. On
Buru, he had written two other novels and a play that never
became as well known as the Quartet. Taken together, this
tetralogy is a literary expression of Indonesia's 1,000-year
journey towards a political identity.
But this review is concerned only with the first (in
chronological order) work: Arok of Java. First published in
Bahasa Indonesia as Arok Dedes in 1981, Arok of Java is the
English version translated by Max Lane.
Set in 13th century Java, this is Pramoedya's telling of the
legend/history of Arok, a young man who rebelled against the
governor of his region, seized the throne and reinstated laws
banning slavery. The bare bones plot appears very simple, but
there are enough episodes of political machinations and intrigue
to keep the story satisfyingly multifaceted.
The plot is not the thing, though. It is the telling of the
story that shows us Pramoedya's genius. The richness of his
descriptions of ancient Java is utterly compelling. One is drawn
into the world and its rituals and beliefs so completely that
reading the book is akin to being there.
This is largely due to his totally unsentimental treatment of
the subject matter and characters. They are people of the time,
with no 20th century revisionism of their attitudes and
thinking, and as such, we experience something refreshingly
alien.
The past, as they say, is a different country, and here it most
certainly is that. In some passages, legendary supernatural
exploits are included that – although jarring to some
considering the largely realistic narrative – adds to the
sensation that we are peering into a world that is different and
exciting.
The late Pramoedya Ananta Toer – in a 2004 photo, below right,
and as an angry young man in the 1960s, above – lived his life
with his ideals intact. – File photos This is not to say that
there is no relevance to the present day to be found. One of the
reasons that Pramoedya wrote Arok was to illustrate that the
sophistication of politics in the distant past is no less
complex than that of the present day. Indonesia's political
awakening is not something that was birthed in the 20th or even
19th century but whose roots can be found hundreds of years ago.
Naturally, scholars of recent Indonesian history excitedly try
to draw parallels in the story of Arok and modern Indonesia. Is
Arok representative of Suharto? He was, after all, a lieutenant
of the governor who, basically, double-crossed his leader. Or
perhaps he is more akin to Sukarno, who worked with the Japanese
and for Indonesian independence at the same time.
You can find parallels if you look for them and, indeed, if that
is what you want to do, knock yourself out. And it is not
limited to personalities. The philosophical and religious divide
of Arok's world, where people ask suspiciously if a stranger is
a worshipper of Vishnu or Siva or if he or she is Buddhist, has
a resonance in a world where political ideologies have replaced
the gods.
It would be folly, however, to just read and examine the book in
this light. It is a testament to Pramoedya's skill that this
tale is satisfying on many levels.
For example, Arok's straddling of the three Javanese Hindu
castes, Sudra (labourer), Ksatria (warrior) and Brahmin
(intellectual), is a powerful treatise on the need for holistic
qualities in order to effect social change. It is not enough to
intellectually argue for 200 years in grand conferences (as the
Brahmins did), one has to have the skill of the warrior to make
any change and the soul of the oppressed to ensure that justice
is done.
Max Lane's translation here is excellent. Like his work on the
Buru Quartet, Lane has managed to write in English but sound
Indonesian. His sentences are structured so as to make the words
sound like they come from the Nusantara, and his adherence to
linguistic tics and specialised expressions add to this.
Mention, too, must be made of Mohamad Yusof's paintings that
grace the cover and the pages of this book. They visually
represent his perspective of Arok's tale and they are detailed
and beautiful with a primitive sensual power that captures the
spirit of the tale and a sense of the time.
It is a shame that the prints are so small and (at least for the
ones in the body of the book) in poor black and white. Perhaps
in future editions, they could be given the treatment they, and
the reader, deserve.
Pak Pram died in April 2006 and this region, indeed the world,
has lost a great literary figure and an inspirational man. His
works will continue to be read and appreciated for many years to
come.
As sad as it is that we will not have anything new coming from
his kretek-stained fingers, there is some measure of comfort in
knowing that there are still works to be translated, studied,
examined, learnt from, and enjoyed.
* Assoc Prof Dr Azmi Sharom teaches law at Universiti Malaya and
writes the fortnightly 'Brave New World' column in The Star's
Views pages.
"Where is the wisdom we have lost in knowledge?
Where is the knowledge we have lost in information?"
--T.S. Elliot (1888-1965)
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