Andrea Hirata Seman Said Harun or better known as Andrea Hirata is an Indonesian novelist who hails from

Bangka Belitung The Bangka Belitung Islands (; Jawi: ) is a province of Indonesia. Situated off the southeastern coast of Sumatra, the province comprises two main land masses — the islands of Bangka and Belitung — and numerous smaller islands. Bangka B ...

islands. His first

novel A novel is an extended work of narrative fiction usually written in prose and published as a book. The word derives from the for 'new', 'news', or 'short story (of something new)', itself from the , a singular noun use of the neuter plural of ...

was ''

Laskar Pelangi ''Laskar Pelangi'' (English: ''The Rainbow Troops'') is a 2008 Indonesian drama film adapted from the novel of the same name by Andrea Hirata. The film follows a group of 10 students and their two inspirational teachers as they struggle with pov ...

'' which spawned three sequels.

Biography

Hirata was born in Gantung,

Belitung Belitung (Belitung Malay: ''Belitong'', formerly Billiton) is an island on the east coast of Sumatra, Indonesia in the Java Sea. It covers (including offshore islands such as Mendanau Island), and had a population of 309,097 at the 2020 Cen ...

. During the course of his youth, His parents changed his name seven times. The family eventually named him Andrea, with Hirata being given by his mother. He grew up in a poor family who lived not far from a government-owned tin mine operated by PN Timah (now PT Timah Tbk.). Hirata started his higher education with a degree in economics from

University of Indonesia The University of Indonesia (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 Dutch East Indies when UI was established) ...

. Although Andrea's major was economics, he is very fond of science—physics, chemistry, biology, astronomy and literature. After receiving a scholarship from one of European Union's programs, he took a master's program in Europe, first at the

University of Paris The University of Paris (), known Metonymy, metonymically as the Sorbonne (), was the leading university in Paris, France, from 1150 to 1970, except for 1793–1806 during the French Revolution. Emerging around 1150 as a corporation associated wit ...

, then at

Sheffield Hallam University Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is a public research university in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England. The university is based on two sites; the City Campus is located in the city centre near Sheffield station, Sheffield railway station, whil ...

in the UK. Andrea's thesis in the field of telecommunications

economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

received an award from the university and he graduated ''

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

''. The thesis has been adapted into

Indonesian Indonesian is anything of, from, or related to Indonesia, an archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. It may refer to: * Indonesians, citizens of Indonesia ** Native Indonesians, diverse groups of local inhabitants of the archipelago ** Indonesian ...

and is the first telecommunications economic theory book written by an Indonesian. The book has been circulated as a scientific reference. Andrea identifies himself more as an

Academic An academy (Attic Greek: Ἀκαδήμεια; Koine Greek Ἀκαδημία) is an institution of tertiary education. The name traces back to Plato's school of philosophy, founded approximately 386 BC at Akademia, a sanctuary of Athena, the go ...

and Backpacker. He is also pursuing his other dream of living in Kye Gompa, a village in the

Himalayas The Himalayas, or Himalaya ( ), is a mountain range in Asia, separating the plains of the Indian subcontinent from the Tibetan Plateau. The range has some of the Earth's highest peaks, including the highest, Mount Everest. More than list of h ...

. Hirata released the novel ''

'' in 2005. The novel was written in six months based on his childhood experiences in Belitung. He later described the themes of the novel as an irony about the lack of access to education for children on one of the richest islands in the world. The novel sold five million copies, with pirated editions selling more than 15 million. The novel resulted in a trilogy of novels, namely ''

Sang Pemimpi The Dreamer ( Indonesian: Sang Pemimpi) is the second novel in the tetralogy ''Laskar Pelangi'' by Andrea Hirata, published by Bentang Pusaka in July 2006. In this novel, Hirata explores themes of friendship and brotherhood. Synopsis The Drea ...

'', ''

Edensor Edensor (pronounced ) is a village and civil parish in Derbyshire, England. The population of the civil parish at the 2011 census was 145. Much of the village is privately owned, by the Dukes of Devonshire, the Cavendish family. Most of the dec ...

'', and ''

Maryamah Karpov Maryamah is a village in eastern Yemen. It is located in the Hadhramaut Governorate Hadhramaut Governorate () is a governorate of Yemen. Lying within the large historical region of Hadhramaut, it is the country's largest governorate. The capita ...

''.

Works

Laskar Pelangi Tetralogy

* ''

'' (2005) * ''

'' (2006) * ''Edensor'' (2007) * ''Maryamah Karpov'' (2008)

Padang Bulan Dwilogi Series

* ''Cinta di Dalam Gelas'' (2010) * ''Padang Bulan'' (2010) * ''Buku Besar Peminum Kopi'' (2020)

Aini Series

* ''Orang-Orang Biasa'' (2019) * ''Guru Aini'' (2020, prequel to ''Orang-Orang Biasa'')

Circus Pohon Trilogy

* ''Sirkus Pohon'' (2017)

Other novels

* ''Sebelas Patriot'' (2011) * ''Ayah'' (2015) * ''Brianna and Bottomwise'' (2022)

Songbook

* ''Laskar Pelangi Song Book'' (2012)

Achievements

* Winner of BuchAwards 2013 * 2013 New York Book Festival Winner (general fiction category) * Honorary Doctor of Letters (Hon DLitt) from

Warwick University The University of Warwick ( ; abbreviated as ''Warw.'' in post-nominal letters) is a public research university on the outskirts of Coventry between the West Midlands and Warwickshire, England. The university was founded in 1965 as part of a ...

2015

Awards and nominations

References

* * * * * * * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Hirata, Andrea 1967 births Living people Indonesian male novelists 21st-century Indonesian novelists 21st-century Indonesian women writers People from East Belitung Regency University of Paris alumni University of Indonesia alumni Alumni of Sheffield Hallam University