The world of Indonesian literature will never die out. One by one, writers continue to produce phenomenal works in each era. For example, Pramoedya Ananta Toer with the Buru Island Tetralogy who succeeded in raising the issue of oppression and social stratification during the Colonial period. From the various works he produced, Pramoedya later received various international awards, such as an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters degree from the University of Michigan (1999), the Fukuoka Cultural Grand Prize (2000), and many more.
Besides Pramoedya's name, there are a number of Indonesian writers whose names are also world famous. These writers are female figures who are sometimes still placed in inferior positions in the world of Indonesian literature. In terms of numbers, according to the Encyclopedia of Indonesian Literature , there are only 40 female writers out of a total of 246 recorded writers. Apart from that, there is an assumption that the issues raised by female writers are no more serious than male writers.
Against this stigma, the proof is that many Indonesian female writers have succeeded in producing genius works. In fact, their works have been translated into various languages and awarded prestigious international awards.
Who are these female writers? Check it out in the following review. Maybe one of them is your favorite author.
Nh. Early
Nurhayati Sri Hardini or better known as Nh. Dini is one of the Indonesian female writers whose name is legendary. He was known as a prolific writer until the end of his life. This author, who is from Class 66, has produced around 40 book titles. Five of them, namely On a Ship (1972), My Name is Hiroko (1977), Tran People (1983), The Meeting of Two Hearts (1986), and Peaceful Hearts (1961), are the most popular works.
Born in Semarang on February 19 1936, Nh's writing talent. Dini began to appear when he was nine years old. At that time he managed to write an essay entitled Merdeka and Merah Putih which disturbed the Dutch.
Since Nh. His early career in the world of literature earned him various awards, both at national and international levels. Some of the awards that Nh has received. Dini, among others, won 1st place in the short story writing competition in French held by Le Monde and Radio France Internationale (1987), the SEA Write Award in the field of literature from the Thai Government (2003), and the Francophonie Prize (2008).
Apart from that, Nh. Dini also received the Lifetime Achievement Award at the opening night of the 2017 Ubud Writers and Readers Festival .
Dewi Lestari
Dewi Lestari is a prominent Indonesian writer whose works often become best sellers. Using the pen name 'Dee', the woman who was born in Bandung on January 20 1976, first launched a novel in 2001, entitled Supernova: Ksatria, Puteri dan Shooting Star. The novel is part of a series that examines spiritual and scientific exploration.
Supernova was successfully included in the Top 5 Khatulistiwa Literaly Award 2001 , alongside the works of other famous writers. The novel was also successful in penetrating the international market and was translated into English.
Not only Supernova, several of Dewi Lestari's other works are also very popular, even being adapted to the big screen, including Perahu Kertas, Filosofi Kopi, Rectoverso, and Madre. To date, Dewi Lestari is recorded as having written more than 12 book titles.
Leila S. Chudori
The name Lelia Salikha Chudori is no stranger to the world of Indonesian literature. The writer, who is also a journalist for Tempo magazine, has produced various popular works and has been awarded awards from within and outside the country.
In fact, she has honed Leila's writing talent since elementary school. When he was in grade 5 of elementary school, he wrote his first short story "The Message of a Banana Tree" which was later published in the children's magazine, Si Kuncung (1973).
Since then, the woman who was born on December 12 1962 has productively produced various works, such as 9 of Nadira (2009) which was awarded a literary award from the Language Development and Development Agency as well as the book a collection of short stories Last Night which was later translated into German ( Die Letzte Nacht ).
Most recently, in 2020, Leila succeeded in winning the South East Asia Write Award for her novel, Laut Bercerita.
Ayu Utami
Justina Ayu Utami is known as a writer who speaks out loud about women's issues. Born in Bogor on November 21 1968, Ayu started her career as a writer when she pursued journalism. At that time, Ayu was active in writing the weekly Sketch column in Berita Buana Daily and helped found the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI).
The first novel Ayu wrote was Saman (1998). Saman succeeded in attracting a lot of attention from readers and literary critics. This work is also considered a reformer novel in the world of Indonesian literature.
Thanks to the novel Saman, Ayu succeeded in winning the 1998 Jakarta Arts Council Romance Composing Competition. Other works such as Larung (2001), Si Parasite Single (2003), Anatomi Rasa (2019) also brought Ayu awards, even at the international level. These awards include the Khatulistiwa Literary Award (2008), the Southeast Asian Literary Council (2008), the Prince Claus Award (2000), and many more.
Djenar Maesa Ayu
Djenar Maesa Ayu is one of Indonesia's talented female writers. The woman who is familiarly called Nay was born in Jakarta on February 14 1973. She is known for her works that raise the theme of women and sexuality.
Nay's first work was a short story with a feminist theme, Lintah (2002), which was published in Kompas. Meanwhile, his first book is a collection of short stories entitled They Say, I'm a Monkey! (2004), which was then quite popular. The book has been reprinted eight times and was included in the ten best books of the 2003 Khatulistiwa Literary Award . In addition, They are Bilan, I am a Monkey! has also been published in English.
Not only that, a collection of short stories entitled Don't Play Around (with Your Gender) also received the top five prizes at the Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2004. Apart from that, the short story Menyusu Ayab by Nay was the best short story in 2003 according to the Women's Journal. The short story was also translated by Richard Oh into English with the title Suckling Father and published in the English version of the Women's Journal, a special edition of the best works.
Those are five Indonesian female writers who have succeeded in producing extraordinary works that have received international recognition. Hopefully it can inspire you to continue working in any field.