was an Indonesian writer and journalist. He was mostly renowned for his short stories, some of which were set in the
Indonesian mass killings of 1965–1966
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 ...
.
Early life and education
Hoerip was born in
Lamongan Regency
Lamongan Regency is a regency ''(kabupaten)'' of East Java, Indonesia. It has a total land area of approximately or + 3.78% of the area of East Java Province. With a length of along the coastline, the sea area of Lamongan Regency is about , if ...
on 7 April 1934, as the eldest of four children. His parents were of Javanese nobility and worked as civil servants in the colonial government,
his mother a cousin of later president
Sukarno
Sukarno). (; born Koesno Sosrodihardjo, ; 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 ...
.
He for a time studied at a Dutch
Europeesche Lagere School
Europeesche Lagere School (ELS) was a European elementary school system in what was then the Dutch East Indies during colonial rule. The schools were intended primarily for Europeans. The implementation of basic education at that time was diffe ...
, before completing his middle and high school education across
East Java
East Java ( id, Jawa Timur) is a Provinces of Indonesia, province of Indonesia located in the easternmost hemisphere of Java island. It has a land border only with the province of Central Java to the west; the Java Sea and the Indian Ocean bord ...
in independent Indonesia.
While in high school, he studied under novelist
Iwan Simatupang.
After completing high school, he enrolled first at the law faculty of the
University of Indonesia
The University of Indonesia ( id, Universitas Indonesia, abbreviated as 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 Dut ...
. However, he did not have interest in law, and was more interested in literature. Due to this, he did not complete his degree, and after two years he moved to
Gadjah Mada University
Gadjah Mada University ( jv, ꦈꦤꦶꦥ꦳ꦼꦂꦱꦶꦠꦱ꧀ꦓꦗꦃꦩꦢ; id, Universitas Gadjah Mada, abbreviated as UGM) is a Public university, public research university located in Sleman Regency, Sleman, Yogyakarta (special region) ...
still in the law faculty. At Gadjah Mada, he more often attended literature classes, and so he once more moved to
Padjadjaran University
Padjadjaran University id, Universitas Padjajaran, abbreviated as UNPAD) is a public university located in Sumedang Regency and Bandung, which is the provincial capital of West Java, Indonesia. It was established on September 11, 1957.
UNPAD has ...
's law faculty. Again, he was more interested in literature, and eventually he never attained a degree. During his studies, he edited student magazines in addition to writing for external magazines and newspapers.
Career
After his education, Hoerip did not hold any permanent jobs for extended periods. He worked as a journalist and editor for several newspapers such as ''
Sinar Harapan
''Sinar Harapan'' (''Rays of Hope'') was an Indonesian evening daily newspaper published by PT Sinar Harapan Persada and currently an online-only portal. First published on 27 April 1961, ''Sinar Harapan'' underwent several bans during both Old ...
'', lectured at several universities in Indonesia and abroad, and for a time at the Algerian embassy in Jakarta. Due to his tendency to move jobs, Hoerip described himself as an "unemployed homeless intellectual".
Hoerip had been an active writer since his time in middle school, mostly writing short stories and poetry initially under the pen name "I Gst Poreh". His works focused on the life of the poor and social criticism of the rich and powerful. He also authored a
wayang
, also known as ( jv, ꦮꦪꦁ, translit=wayang), is a traditional form of puppet theatre play originating from the Indonesian island of Java. refers to the entire dramatic show. Sometimes the leather puppet itself is referred to as . Perfor ...
-based novel, and a movie script titled ''Palupi'' - later made into the film ''
Apa Jang Kau Tjari, Palupi?'' (1969) by director
Asrul Sani
Asrul Sani (10 June 1926 – 11 January 2004) was an Indonesian writer, poet and screenwriter.
Biography
Sani was born in Rao, West Sumatra on 10 June 1926. His father was Sultan Marah Sani Syair Alamsyah.
Together with Chairil Anwar and Riv ...
. His 1966 short story, ''Pada Titik Kulminasi'', was set in the
ongoing mass killings at that time, written in a perspective sympathetic to the perpetrators of the killings.
''Sebelum Yang Terakhir'' (1968), another of Hoerip's short stories, also covered the mass killings, was described as "vague" and "slant". Hoerip also compiled a collection of 12 short stories set during the killings and written in the late 1960s by other senior authors such as
Mochtar Lubis
Mochtar Lubis (; 7 March 1922 – 2 July 2004) was an Indonesian Batak journalist and novelist who co-founded ''Indonesia Raya'' and monthly literary magazine "Horison". His novel ''Senja di Jakarta'' (''Twilight in Jakarta'' in English) w ...
and
Gerson Poyk.
He continued to write later during the
New Order era, although not as productive as previously.
Personal life
While Hoerip was born a Muslim, he converted to Christianity after marrying his wife Agustina Wilhelmina Ulag Nieman in 1964. The couple has five children.
He was described as a
bohemian
Bohemian or Bohemians may refer to:
*Anything of or relating to Bohemia
Beer
* National Bohemian, a brand brewed by Pabst
* Bohemian, a brand of beer brewed by Molson Coors
Culture and arts
* Bohemianism, an unconventional lifestyle, origin ...
who always carried a pair of sunglasses.
Goenawan Mohamad
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 periodic ...
described Hoerip as a "follower of
Sjahrir
Sutan Sjahrir (5 March 1909 – 9 April 1966) was an Indonesian politician, and revolutionary independence leader, who served as the first Prime Minister of Indonesia, from 1945 until 1947. Previously, he was a key Indonesian nationalist organiz ...
", heavily affected by Sjahrir's imprisonment and the emergence of "
Guided Democracy
Guided democracy, also called managed democracy, is a formally democratic government that functions as a ''de facto'' authoritarian government or in some cases, as an autocratic government. Such hybrid regimes are legitimized by elections tha ...
".
He died on 14 October 1998 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 ...
.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hoerip, Satyagraha
1934 births
1998 deaths
People from Lamongan Regency
Indonesian writers
Indonesian Christians
Converts to Christianity from Islam
Indonesian former Muslims
Indonesian journalists
Javanese people