Marga Tjoa (born 27 January 1943) is an Indonesian

popular Popularity or social status is the quality of being well liked, admired or well known to a particular group. Popular may also refer to: In sociology * Popular culture * Popular fiction * Popular music * Popular science * Populace, the total ...

romance Romance (from Vulgar Latin , "in the Roman language", i.e., "Latin") may refer to: Common meanings * Romance (love), emotional attraction towards another person and the courtship behaviors undertaken to express the feelings * Romance languages, ...

and

children's literature Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

writer better known by the pen name Marga T. One of Indonesia's most prolific writers, she first became well known in 1971 for her serial ''Karmila'' that was published as a book in 1973 and later made into a film. As of 2006, she has published 38 novels.

Biography

Marga Tjoa was born Tjoa Liang Tjoe (;Leo Suryadinata. ''Prominent Indonesian Chinese: Biographical Sketches''. Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, 1995.

Hokkien The Hokkien () variety of Chinese is a Southern Min language native to and originating from the Minnan region, where it is widely spoken in the south-eastern part of Fujian in southeastern mainland China. It is one of the national languages in ...

: ''Chhoà Liâng-chu'') to a Catholic

Chinese Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have ...

(

peranakan The Peranakans () are an ethnic group defined by their genealogical descent from the first waves of Southern Chinese settlers to maritime Southeast Asia, known as Nanyang (), namely the British Colonial ruled ports in the Malay Peninsula, th ...

) family in

Jakarta Jakarta (; , bew, Jakarte), officially the Special Capital Region of Jakarta ( id, Daerah Khusus Ibukota Jakarta) is the capital and largest city of Indonesia. Lying on the northwest coast of Java, the world's most populous island, Jakarta ...

in 1943. She started writing young and by age 21, had published her first short story, "Room 27" ( id, Kamar 27). It was followed by her first book in 1969, a

children's story "Children's Story" is a song recorded by British-American hip hop artist Slick Rick. Taken as the second single from his album ''The Great Adventures of Slick Rick'', the song was a Top 5 hit on both the Hot R&B Singles and the Hot Rap Tracks ...

titled ''My Home is My Castle'' ( id, Rumahku adalah Istanaku).Apa dan Siapa: Marga T
" ''Pusat Data & Analisis Tempo''. Retrieved 18 May 2011. (Indonesian) During this time she was also educated as a physician at

Trisakti University Trisakti University (Usakti) is Indonesia's largest private university located in Jakarta, Indonesia. Trisakti University, is the only private university in Indonesia which was established by the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. Founde ...

. Tjoa became famous after first novel, ''Karmila'', was published in 1971. In 1972 she followed ''Karmila''s success with ''The Storm Will Surely Pass'' ( id, Badai Pasti Berlalu), which was serialized in ''

Kompas ''Kompas'' () is an Indonesian national newspaper from Jakarta which was founded on 28 June 1965. The paper is published by PT Kompas Media Nusantara, which is a part of Kompas Gramedia Group. Its head office is located at the Kompas Multimed ...

'' between 5 June and 2 September 1972, with a novelized version being published in 1974.
Musisiku
' Republika. p. 195. (Indonesian) Both novels were

adapted In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the po ...

into movies, with '' Badai Pasti Berlalu'' going on to win four

Citra awards The Indonesian Film Festival ( Indonesian: Festival Film Indonesia, 'FFI') is an annual awards ceremony organised by the Indonesian Film Board and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology to celebrate cinematic achievements in ...

. This early success convinced her to continue writing. During the late 1970s and throughout the 1980s and 1990s, Tjoa published more popular novels, including ''An Illusion'' ( id, Sebuah Ilusi), ''The Red Saga'' ( id, Saga Merah), and ''Doctor Sabara's Secret'' ( id, Rahasia Dokter Sabara). She also published some collections of

short stories A short story is a piece of prose fiction that typically can be read in one sitting and focuses on a self-contained incident or series of linked incidents, with the intent of evoking a single effect or mood. The short story is one of the oldest t ...

, including ''Love Song'' ( id, Lagu Cinta) and ''Monik''.Marga T: Dokter dan Penulis Novel
. ''Tokoh Indonesia.com''. (Indonesian) In 2004, Tjoa published ''A Bud of Hope'' ( id, Sekuntum Nozomi) to commemorate the eighth anniversary of the 1998 Jakarta Riots. It deals with the violence and rape of Chinese women during the riots. As of 2006, Tjoa has written 80 short stories, 50 pieces of

, and 38 novels.Sekuntum Nozomi 3 oleh Marga T, Memperingati Sewindu Tragedi Mei 1998
''Perspektif Online''. 16 May 2006. Retrieved 18 May 2011. (Indonesian) Tjoa currently lives in

Central Jakarta Central Jakarta ( id, Jakarta Pusat) is one of the five administrative cities () which form the Special Capital Region of Jakarta. It had 902,973 inhabitants according to the 2010 censusBiro Pusat Statistik, Jakarta, 2011. and 1,056,896 at the 2 ...

Chinese-Indonesian identity

Tjoa has been seen as trying to distance herself from her

Chinese-Indonesian Chinese Indonesians ( id, Orang Tionghoa Indonesia) and colloquially Chindo or just Tionghoa are Indonesians whose ancestors arrived from China at some stage in the last eight centuries. Chinese people and their Indonesian descendants have l ...

background during a period of legislation regarding Chinese culture in Indonesia, as evidenced by her use of a neutral pen name and a general disregard for Chinese culture and problems in her literary works.Allen, Pamela.
Penghayatan Lintas Budaya: Pribumi Menyoroti Tionghoa dalam Sastra Indonesia
in ''Susastra: jurnal ilmu sastra dan budaya''. Himpunan Sarjana-Kesusastraan Indonesia. p. 32. (English) Her

diction Diction ( la, dictionem (nom. ), "a saying, expression, word"), in its original meaning, is a writer's or speaker's distinctive vocabulary choices and style of expression in a poem or story.Crannell (1997) ''Glossary'', p. 406 In its common meanin ...

is also described as "identical to that of

indigenous Indigenous may refer to: *Indigenous peoples *Indigenous (ecology), presence in a region as the result of only natural processes, with no human intervention *Indigenous (band), an American blues-rock band *Indigenous (horse), a Hong Kong racehorse ...

writers." As a result, many readers do not realize that Tjoa is Chinese-Indonesian.Suryadinata, Leo. "From Peranakan Chinese Literature to Indonesian Literature: A Preliminary Study". in Suryadinata, Leo (ed.).
Chinese adaptation and diversity: essays on society and literature in Indonesia, Malaysia, & Singapore
'.

Singapore University Press NUS Press is an academic press in Singapore. It traces its origins to the Singapore University Press, which the University of Singapore established in 1971 as its publishing arm. The press specialises in books and journals that deal with topics ...

. p. 119.

Selected works

Her works include:

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Marga T 1943 births Living people Indonesian Roman Catholics Indonesian writers Indonesian people of Chinese descent Indonesian women writers People from Jakarta Trisakti University alumni