''Azab dan Sengsara'' (; ''Pain and Suffering'') is a 1920 novel written by

Merari Siregar Merari Siregar (13 July 1896 Sipirok, North Sumatra - 23 April 1941, Kalianget, Madura, East Java) was an Indonesian writer and also the author of the first novel written in Indonesian. He completed his studies at a ''Kweekschool'' and in 1923 ...

and published by

Balai Pustaka Balai Pustaka (; also spelled Balai Poestaka, both meaning "Bureau of Literature") is the state-owned publisher of Indonesia and publisher of major pieces of Indonesian literature such as ''Salah Asuhan'', ''Sitti Nurbaya'' and '' Layar Terkem ...

, Indonesia's major publisher at that time. It tells the story of two lovers, Amiruddin and Mariamin, who are unable to marry and eventually become miserable. It is generally considered the first modern Indonesian novel.

Writing

''Azab dan Sengsara'' was written by Merari Siregar to "show the traditions and habits which are less than desirable amongst atakpeople, especially the men." The novel was based on the author's personal experiences, with modifications for clarity. It may have been written or edited to fit Balai Pustaka's editorial policies.

Plot

Amiruddin, the son of a village leader in

Sipirok Sipirok is a town in North Sumatra province of Indonesia and the seat (capital) of South Tapanuli Regency. It is known for the Batu Jomba Sipirok, a badly maintained highway which becomes difficult and dangerous during wet weather. Notable residen ...

, falls in love with his cousin Mariamin, the daughter of a formerly-rich family. Having been friends since childhood, Amiruddin and Mariamin promise to get engaged once Amiruddin has a job. In order to find a job, Amiruddin goes to

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four main ...

; upon finding a job, he sends a letter to his parents, Mariamin, and Mariamin's parents declaring that he wishes to marry her. Although Mariamin is thrilled and both mothers agree, Amiruddin's father Baginda Diatas disagrees with the proposal; Baginda Diatas wishes for his son to marry a woman from an equally rich and respected family. After taking his wife to a ''

dukun A dukun is an Indonesian term for shaman. Their societal role is that of a traditional healer, spirit medium, custom and tradition experts and on occasion sorcerers and masters of black magic. In common usage the dukun is often confused with ...

'' (who, as previously arranged, says that Amiruddin will be met with disaster if he marries Mariamin), Baginda Diatas convinces her that Amiruddin should not marry Mariamin. They instead choose another, wealthier, girl from the Siregar '' marga'' to be Amiruddin's wife. Baginda Diatas escorts her to Medan to marry Amiruddin, much to Amiruddin's disappointment. Pressured by ''

adat Alesis Digital Audio Tape (ADAT) is a magnetic tape format used for the recording of eight digital audio tracks onto the same S-VHS tape used by consumer VCRs. Although it is a tape-based format, the term ''ADAT'' now refers to its successo ...

'', Amiruddin marries her and tells Mariamin that he cannot be with her; Mariamin is heartbroken. A year later, Mariamin is engaged to Kasibun, a

divorcé Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...

from Medan. After being brought to Medan, Mariamin discovers that Kasibun has a

sexually transmitted disease Sexually transmitted infections (STIs), also referred to as sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) and the older term venereal diseases, are infections that are spread by sexual activity, especially vaginal intercourse, anal sex, and oral ...

and attempts to avoid his advances; her attempts are met by torture at Kasibun's hands. The torture becomes worse after Amiruddin visits one day, causing Kasibun to become jealous. Taking advice from Amiruddin, Mariamin reports Kasibun to the police and receives permission to divorce him. Returning to Sipirok, Mariamin dies alone.

Style

During the course of the novel, statements are made directly to the reader, giving advice and indicating traditions considered undesirable. These inserts are generally unrelated to the plot. It also includes many examples of traditional poetry, using the forms ''

pantun ''Pantun'' ( Jawi: ) is a Malay oral poetic form used to express intricate ideas and emotions. It is generally consists of even-numbered lines and based on ABAB rhyming schemes. The shortest consists of two lines better known as the in Malay, ...

'' and ''

syair Syair ( Jawi: شعير) is a form of traditional Malay (also subsequently modern Indonesian and Malaysian) poetry that is made up of four-line stanzas or quatrains. The syair can be a narrative poem, a didactic poem, a poem used to convey ideas on ...

''.

Themes

''Azab dan Sengsara'' discusses

forced marriage Forced marriage is a marriage in which one or more of the parties is married without their consent or against their will. A marriage can also become a forced marriage even if both parties enter with full consent if one or both are later force ...

and its relation to a family's public image. This was not a new theme for novels published in Indonesia; previously published novels in non-formal

Malay Malay may refer to: Languages * Malay language or Bahasa Melayu, a major Austronesian language spoken in Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore ** History of the Malay language, the Malay language from the 4th to the 14th century ** Indonesi ...

and

Sundanese Sundanese may refer to: * Sundanese people * Sundanese language * Sundanese script Standard Sundanese script (''Aksara Sunda Baku'', ) is a writing system which is used by the Sundanese people. It is built based on Old Sundanese script (' ...

had similar themes. This was rendered explicitly to educate readers in the negative effects of forced marriage. ''Azab dan Sengsara'' includes

individualistic Individualism is the moral stance, political philosophy, ideology and social outlook that emphasizes the intrinsic worth of the individual. Individualists promote the exercise of one's goals and desires and to value independence and self-relianc ...

characters, unwilling to comply entirely with

Batak Batak is a collective term used to identify a number of closely related Austronesian ethnic groups predominantly found in North Sumatra, Indonesia, who speak Batak languages. The term is used to include the Karo, Pakpak, Simalungun, Toba, ...

traditions or depend on their fellow Batak. However, despite stressing the importance of love in a marriage, the "ideal woman" is drawn as one who obeys her husband and is always loyal. Batak culture heavily influenced ''Azab dan Sengsara''. The relationship between Amiruddin and his

matrilineal Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's Lineage (anthropology), lineage – and which can in ...

cousin Mariamin is acceptable in Batak culture, as it does not violate the restriction on marrying people from the same ''marga''. Baginda Diatas' reluctance to accept a lower-class wife for his son also reflected Batak tradition, as did Amiruddin's acceptance of his father's decision. Other cultural influences include ''martandang'', belief in the powers of the ''dukun'', and

patrilineal Patrilineality, also known as the male line, the spear side or agnatic kinship, is a common kinship system in which an individual's family membership derives from and is recorded through their father's lineage. It generally involves the inheritanc ...

inheritance.

Reception

''Azab dan Sengsara'' has been widely described as the first modern Indonesian novel by Indonesian textbooks. It has been chosen over previously published novels due to its use of formal

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 ...

. However, others, including Dutch critic

A. Teeuw Andries Teeuw (12 August 1921 – 18 May 2012), better known as A. Teeuw in scholarly circles and Hans Teeuw to his friends, was a Dutch critic of Indonesian literature. Biography Teeuw was born in Gorinchem, Netherlands, on 12 August 192 ...

and writer A. H. Johns, consider ''

Sitti Nurbaya ''Sitti Nurbaya: Kasih Tak Sampai'' (''Sitti Nurbaya: Unrealized Love'', often abbreviated ''Sitti Nurbaya'' or ''Siti Nurbaya''; original spelling ''Sitti Noerbaja'') is an Indonesian novel by Marah Rusli. It was published by Balai Pustaka, t ...

'' to be the first true Indonesian novel. M. Balfas notes that ''Azab dan Sengsara'' lacks conflict. In 2009, the ''

Jakarta Globe The ''Jakarta Globe'' is a daily online English-language newspaper in Indonesia, launched in November 2008. The paper initially came out as a print newspaper with an average of 48 pages a day, and published Monday to Saturday. It had three sect ...

'' reported that ''Azab dan Sengsara'' was one of "eight works of excellent literary standing ... chosen for re-release from the Balai Pustaka collection."

Notes

References

;Footnotes ;Bibliography * * * {{Authority control 1920 novels Novels set in Indonesia Indonesian romance novels Balai Pustaka books