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 periodically shut down due to its criticisms. Mohamad has won awards for his journalistic work, including the

CPJ International Press Freedom Awards The CPJ International Press Freedom Awards honor journalists or their publications around the world who show courage in defending press freedom despite facing attacks, threats, or imprisonment. Established in 1991, the awards are administered by ...

(1998), the International Editor of the Year Award (1999) and the Dan David Prize (2006).

Early life

He was born in Batang,

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 ...

Journalism

He is the founder and editor of ''

Tempo In musical terminology, tempo ( Italian, 'time'; plural ''tempos'', or ''tempi'' from the Italian plural) is the speed or pace of a given piece. In classical music, tempo is typically indicated with an instruction at the start of a piece (ofte ...

'' ("Time") magazine, which was forcibly closed twice by President

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto le ...

's New Order administration because of its vocal criticism of the authoritarian regime. As a writer, Goenawan Mohamad was known for his weekly column in ''Tempo'', "Catatan Pinggir" (''Sidelines''). The column mainly featured commentary and critique on current affairs and the media 'headlines'. His columns were compiled into six books. In ''Sidelines'', Mohamad never ends articles with a definite conclusion, instead ending with either questions or open-ended comments intended to encourage readers to continue thinking. Mohamad was one of the founders of the Lontar Foundation and is on the advisory boards of the human rights group ARTICLE 19 and the Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict. He is an alumnus of the

College of Europe The College of Europe (french: Collège d'Europe) is a post-graduate institute of European studies with its main campus in Bruges, Belgium and a second campus in Warsaw, Poland. The College of Europe in Bruges was founded in 1949 by leading ...

1966-1967 promotion.

Literature

Mohamad's early writings include ''Potret Seorang Penyair Muda Sebagai Si Malin Kundang'' (''The Portrait of A Young Poet as Malin Kundang'') (1972) and ''Seks, Sastra, Kita'' (''Sex, Literature, Us'') (1980),'"Kesusastraan dan Kekuasaan' (Literature and Power) (1993)'Setelah Revolusi Tak Ada Lagi'' (''Once the Revolution No Longer Exists'') (2001), ''Kata, Waktu'' (''Word, Time'') (2001), 'Eksotopi' (Exotopia) (2003), 'Tuhan dan Hal-hal Yang Tak Selesai' (God and other Unfinished Things) (2007). For his 70th birthday several of his works were republished: 'Marxisme, Seni, dan Pembebasan' (Marxism, the Arts, Emancipation) (2011), 'Indonesia/Proses' (Indonesia/Process) (2011), "Puisi dan Antipuisi' (Poetry and Antipoetry) (2011), 'Di Sekitar Sajak' (On Poems) (2011), 'Tokoh + Pokok' (Persons + Issues) (2011), 'Teks dan Iman' (Texts and Faith)(2011), 'Debu, Duka, Dst: Sebuah Pertimbangan anti-theodise' (Ash, Grief, Etc.: A consideration against theodice)' (2011), 'Ruang dan Kekuasaan' (On Space and Power)', (2011), 'Rupa' (Images), (2011). 'Pagi dan Hal-hal Yang Dipungut Kembali' (Morning and Things Retrieved) (2011). His latest books of poetry are ''Don Quixote'' (2011) and ''70 Puisi'' (70 Poems). His plays are published in ''Tan Malaka dan Tiga Lakon lain''.

Sources

*Mohamad, Goenawan. CATATAN PINGGIR 1. Jakarta: Graffiti. 1982 *Mohamad, Goenawan. CATATAN PINGGIR 5. Jakarta: Graffiti. 2001

Recognition

In 1998, Mohamad was one of four winners of the

, and in 1999 the '' World Press Review'' awarded him its International Editor of the Year Award. He received the Dan David Prize in 2006.

References

External links

Tempo magazine

Goenawan Mohamad's website

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mohamad, Goenawan 1941 births Living people Indonesian writers Indonesian journalists 21st-century Indonesian poets Indonesian essayists Tempo (Indonesian magazine) people Indonesian magazine editors College of Europe alumni Indonesian literary critics Indonesian male poets 21st-century essayists 21st-century male writers