Taufiq Ismail (born 25 June 1935) is an Indonesian poet, activist and the editor of the monthly literary magazine '' Horison''. Ismail figured prominently in

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 are ...

of the post-

Sukarno Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 6 June 1901 – 21 June 1970) was an Indonesian statesman, orator, revolutionary, and nationalist who was the first president of Indonesia, serving from 1945 to 1967. Sukarno was the leader ...

period and is considered one of the pioneers of the "Generation of '66". He completed his education at the

University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia ( id, Universitas Indonesia, abbreviated as UI) is a public university in Depok, West Java and Salemba, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of the oldest tertiary-level educational institutions in Indonesia (known as the ...

. Before becoming active as a writer, he taught at the Institut Pertanian Bogor. In 1963, he signed the "Cultural Manifesto" as a document that opposed linking art to politics. This cost him his teaching position at the Institut. Ismail wrote many poems, of which the best-known are: ''Malu (Aku) Jadi Orang Indonesia, Tirani dan Benteng, Tirani, Benteng, Buku Tamu Musim Perjuangan, Sajak Ladang Jagung, Kenalkan, Saya Hewan, Puisi-puisi Langit, Prahara Budaya : Kilas Balik Ofensif Lekra, Ketika Kata Ketika Warna'' and ''Seulawah-Antologi Sastra Aceh''. Bored with his serious writing style, in 1970 he began writing poems mixed with humor. He has won many awards, including the "Cultural Visit Award" from the Australian government (1977) and the S.E.A. Write Award (1994).

Biography

Taufiq Ismail was born in

Bukittinggi Bukittinggi ( min, Bukiktinggi, Jawi: , formerly nl, Fort de Kock) is the third largest city in West Sumatra, Indonesia, with a population of 111,312 in 2010 and 121,028 in 2020, and an area of 25.24 km2. It is in the Minangkabau Highland ...

West Sumatra West Sumatra ( id, Sumatra Barat) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. The province has an area of , with a population of 5,534,472 at the 2020 cen ...

, on June 25, 1935. He was reared in a teacher and journalist family. He had wanted to become writer since he was in high school. His reading hobby was more satisfied when Taufiq became the librarian in Pelajar Islam Indonesia Pekalongan's library, where he read the works of

Chairil Anwar Chairil Anwar (26 July 1922 – 28 April 1949) was an Indonesian 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 ...

William Saroyan William Saroyan (; August 31, 1908 – May 18, 1981) was an Armenian-American novelist, playwright, and short story writer. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1940, and in 1943 won the Academy Award for Best Story for the film ''Th ...

, and

Karl May Karl Friedrich May ( , ; 25 February 1842 – 30 March 1912) was a German author. He is best known for his 19th century novels of fictitious travels and adventures, set in the American Old West with Winnetou and Old Shatterhand as main pro ...

, besides books about history, politics, and religion. He attended high school in

Pekalongan Pekalongan ( jv, ꦦꦼꦏꦭꦺꦴꦔꦤ꧀) is a city of Central Java, Indonesia. It was formerly the seat of Pekalongan Regency on the northern coast of the province, but is now an independent municipality within the province. The city is Ce ...

Central Java Central Java ( id, Jawa Tengah) is a province of Indonesia, located in the middle of the island of Java. Its administrative capital is Semarang. It is bordered by West Java in the west, the Indian Ocean and the Special Region of Yogyakarta ...

, and then

Whitefish Bay High School Whitefish Bay High School is a comprehensive public secondary school located in the village of Whitefish Bay, Wisconsin, United States. Enrollment is 947 students, in grades 9 through 12. The school newspaper, the ''Tower Times'', and the school ...

Milwaukee Milwaukee ( ), officially the City of Milwaukee, is both the most populous and most densely populated city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, Milwaukee County. With a population of 577,222 at th ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin () is a state in the upper Midwestern United States. Wisconsin is the 25th-largest state by total area and the 20th-most populous. It is bordered by Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake M ...

, on a scholarship from American Field Service International. There he read the works of

Robert Frost Robert Lee Frost (March26, 1874January29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in the United States. Known for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American collo ...

Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe (; Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic. Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre. He is wide ...

, and

Walt Whitman Walter Whitman (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works. Whitman is among ...

. He also liked

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway (July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and journalist. His economical and understated style—which he termed the iceberg theory—had a strong influence on 20th-century fic ...

's ''

The Old Man and the Sea ''The Old Man and the Sea'' is a novella written by the American author Ernest Hemingway in 1951 in Cayo Blanco (Cuba), and published in 1952. It was the last major work of fiction written by Hemingway that was published during his lifetime. On ...

''. He began a career as a writer in the 1960s, and was a noted critic of

Guided Democracy Guided democracy, also called managed democracy, is a formally democratic government that functions as a ''de facto'' authoritarian government or in some cases, as an autocratic government. Such hybrid regimes are legitimized by elections that ...

program, lashing out at the censorship and totalitarian control of Sukarno's government. Ismail was a joint editor of ''Horison'', a literary magazine, along with D.S. Muljanto, Zaini, Su Hok Djin, and

Goenawan Mohamad Goenawan Mohamad (born 29 July 1941) is an Indonesian poet, essayist, playwright and editor. He is the founder and editor of the Indonesian magazine ''Tempo''. Mohamad is a vocal critic of the Indonesian government, and his magazine was periodic ...

. ''Horison'' was started in July 1966 by Mochtar Lubis and HB Jassin, as a successor to ''Sastra''. He remains active writing for the magazine as a senior editor. He was a prominent member of the Jakarta Arts Council (''Dewan Kesenian Jakarta'') and was head of the Jakarta Arts Education Institute (''Lembaga Pendidikan Kesenian Jakarta'') from 1973 to 1978.

Personal life

Taufiq Ismail married in 1971. He and his wife have one son.

Works

#''Manifestasi'' (1963) (alongside Goenawan Mohamad, Hartojo Andangjaya, et al.) #''Benteng ''(1966) #'' Tirani ''(1966) #'' Puisi-puisi Sepi'' (1971) #'' Kota, Pelabuhan, Ladang, Angin, dan Langit'' (1971) #'' Buku Tamu Museum Perjuangan'' (1972) #'' Sajak Ladang Jagung'' (1973) #'' Puisi-puisi Langit'' (1990) # # # # (literally means ( I ) Shamed to be Indonesian, this work was published after Indonesian 1998 Revolution, this work is about Ismail's criticism about the government) # # # #Taufiq Ismail. Dengan Puisi Aku. 1 Puisi, 80 Bahasa, 80 Tahun. Terjemahan Puisi dalam 58 Bahasa Dunia dan 22 Bahasa Daerah. Prakata Prof. Victor A. Pogadaev. Jakarta: Horison, 2015, ISSN 0125-9016 #Taufiq Ismail. Dengan Puisi Aku. Dalam 60 Bahasa. Editor Victor Pogadaev. Kuala Lumpur: Esasatera Enterprise, 2016

In English

* "Stop Thief!" (short story) in ''Black Clouds over the Isle of Gods'', edited and translated by David Roskies. M.E. Sharpe (1997). .

In Russian

* Taufik Ismail. ''Rendez-Vous''. ''Izbrannie Stikhi'' (Rendez-Vous. Selected Poems). Edited and translated by Victor Pogadaev. Designed by Aris Azis. Moscow: Humanitary, 2004: 136. . * Taufiq Ismail. ''Vernite Mne Indoneziyu''. ''Izbrannie Stikhi'' (Return Indonesia To Me. Selected Poems). Edited and translated by Victor Pogadaev. Designed by Hardi. Moscow: Klyuch-C, 2010: 124. .

References

External links

*
Tokoh Indonesia:Taufiq Ismail
*

A short biography of Ismail at the "Online Encyclopedia of Mass Violence"
*
Biography of Taufiq Ismail , Southeast Asia Digital Library
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ismail, Taufik 1935 births Living people 20th-century Indonesian poets Indonesian writers Bogor Agricultural University alumni Minangkabau people International Writing Program alumni Indonesian male poets 20th-century male writers Whitefish Bay High School alumni