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 List of islands of Indonesia, Indonesian archipelago. It is also used to refer more broadly ...

of the post-

Sukarno Sukarno (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 of the Indonesian struggle for independenc ...

period and is considered one of the pioneers of the "Generation of '66". He completed his education at the University of Indonesia. 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 The S.E.A. Write Award, or Southeast Asian Writers Award, is an award that is presented annually since 1979 to poets and writers of Southeast Asia. The awards are given to the writers from each of the countries comprised in the Association of S ...

(1994).

Biography

Taufiq Ismail was born in Bukittinggi,

West Sumatra West Sumatra () is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia. It is on the west coast of the island of Sumatra and includes the Mentawai Islands off that coast. West Sumatra borders the Indian Ocean to the west, as well as the provinces of ...

, 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, William Saroyan, and Karl May, besides books about history, politics, and religion. He attended high school in Pekalongan,

Central Java Central Java (, ) is a Provinces of Indonesia, 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 Yogya ...

, and then Whitefish Bay High School in

Milwaukee Milwaukee is the List of cities in Wisconsin, most populous city in the U.S. state of Wisconsin. Located on the western shore of Lake Michigan, it is the List of United States cities by population, 31st-most populous city in the United States ...

Wisconsin Wisconsin ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest of the United States. It borders Minnesota to the west, Iowa to the southwest, Illinois to the south, Lake Michigan to the east, Michig ...

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

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

, and Walt Whitman. He also liked

Ernest Hemingway Ernest Miller Hemingway ( ; July 21, 1899 – July 2, 1961) was an American novelist, short-story writer and journalist. Known for an economical, understated style that influenced later 20th-century writers, he has been romanticized fo ...

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

's Guided Democracy 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. ''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 A. 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 Bogor Agricultural University alumni Minangkabau people International Writing Program alumni Indonesian male poets 20th-century Indonesian male writers Whitefish Bay High School alumni