Laskar Pelangi by Andrea Hirata Bumi Manusia by Pramoedya Ananta Toer 5 cm by Donny Dhirgantoro Ronggeng Dukuh. Buku Indonesia Sepanjang Masa.
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In Child of All Nations, the reader is immediately swept up by a story that is profoundly feminist, devastatingly anticolonialist—and full of heartbreak, suspense, love, and fury. Pramoedya immerses the reader in a world that is astonishing in its vividness: the cultural whirlpool that was the Dutch East Indies of the 1890s. A story of awakening, it follows Minke, the main In Child of All Nations, the reader is immediately swept up by a story that is profoundly feminist, devastatingly anticolonialist—and full of heartbreak, suspense, love, and fury. Pramoedya immerses the reader in a world that is astonishing in its vividness: the cultural whirlpool that was the Dutch East Indies of the 1890s. A story of awakening, it follows Minke, the main character of This Earth of Mankind, as he struggles to overcome the injustice all around him. Pramoedya’s full literary genius is evident in the brilliant characters that populate this world: Minke’s fragile Mixed-Race wife; a young Chinese revolutionary; an embattled Javanese peasant and his impoverished family; the French painter Jean Marais, to name just a few. The second in Toer's humanistic, postcolonial epic.
As with This Earth of Mankind, I spent a lot of time thinking 'good lord, it's been ages since anyone's written a novel like this.' Something with this degree of scope, of complexity. There's less romance and less family in Child of All Nations, and a lot more struggle. Struggle against the colonizers, struggle against the Javanese feudalists, struggles against the comprador classes, struggle against generally shitty people, struggle against The second in Toer's humanistic, postcolonial epic.
As with This Earth of Mankind, I spent a lot of time thinking 'good lord, it's been ages since anyone's written a novel like this.' Something with this degree of scope, of complexity. There's less romance and less family in Child of All Nations, and a lot more struggle. Struggle against the colonizers, struggle against the Javanese feudalists, struggles against the comprador classes, struggle against generally shitty people, struggle against one's own personal prejudices. Language becomes the key.
Dutch is the language of the colonial state, Javanese is the language of the feudal past, especially in its highly Sanskritized form, English is the language of international discourse, and Malay is the language of the coming revolution, something both local and yet delinked from archaic tradition. Can't wait for the next volume. In the first part of the Buru Quartet, Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), our protagonist, Minke, a Native Javanese was attending an exclusive Dutch high school (HBS) and then married a beautiful Indo-European, Annelies, who is a daughter of a wealthy Dutch and his concubine, Nyai Ontosoroh.' In humility, I realized I am a child of all nations, of all ages, past and present. Place and time of birth, parents, all are coincidence: such things are not sacred.'
In the second part, Anak Semua In the first part of the Buru Quartet, Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), our protagonist, Minke, a Native Javanese was attending an exclusive Dutch high school (HBS) and then married a beautiful Indo-European, Annelies, who is a daughter of a wealthy Dutch and his concubine, Nyai Ontosoroh.' In humility, I realized I am a child of all nations, of all ages, past and present. Place and time of birth, parents, all are coincidence: such things are not sacred.' In the second part, Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of All Nations), Minke has graduated and is learning the world from many people of different backgrounds. The closest one is his mother-in-law. She is self-taught; she has never been to any school, except that of life itself.
She proves herself time and time again to be capable of defending her principles and self respect. She shows Minke what he can never learn at school.' You're an educated native! While Native people are not educated, it is you who must ensure they become educated. You must, must, must speak to them in a language they understand.' The editor of the newspaper he used to write while attending HBS challenged him to write in Malay, the language of the Natives. This leads him to learn about his own society, the peasants, the injustice, the gap between theories and the reality, and more importantly about himself.'
Good, you have admitted that. Now, if a Native starts to talk to you in high Javanese will you advise him to switch to low Javanese? Ha, you can't answer. You are still not able to give up the comforts and pleasures that are yours as an inheritance from your ancestors -rulers over your own native fellow countrymen. Yea're a cheat!
The ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity of the French revolution?I shriveled in shame. Yes, I had to admit it: I was still unable to give up the benefits of my heritage. When someone spoke to me in low Javanese, I felt my rights had been stolen away. On the other hand, if people spoke to me in high Javanese, I felt I was among those chosen few, placed on some higher plane, a god in a human's body, and these pleasures from my heritage caressed me.'
The story is also about people fighting back, resisting the worst of colonial oppression and greed. The world is changing in the early 20th century. China is awakening, Japan is considered equal to the West, and the Filipino people have created the first Asian republic (although briefly).' We fought back, Child, as well and as honorably as possible.' In the first part of the Buru Quartet, Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), our protagonist, Minke, a Native Javanese was attending an exclusive Dutch high school (HBS) and then married a beautiful Indo-European, Annelies, who is a daughter of a wealthy Dutch and his concubine, Nyai Ontosoroh.' In humility, I realized I am a child of all nations, of all ages, past and present. Place and time of birth, parents, all are coincidence: such things are not sacred.'
In the second part, Anak Semua In the first part of the Buru Quartet, Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), our protagonist, Minke, a Native Javanese was attending an exclusive Dutch high school (HBS) and then married a beautiful Indo-European, Annelies, who is a daughter of a wealthy Dutch and his concubine, Nyai Ontosoroh.' In humility, I realized I am a child of all nations, of all ages, past and present. Place and time of birth, parents, all are coincidence: such things are not sacred.' In the second part, Anak Semua Bangsa (Child of All Nations), Minke has graduated and is learning the world from many people of different backgrounds. The closest one is his mother-in-law. She is self-taught; she has never been to any school, except that of life itself. She proves herself time and time again to be capable of defending her principles and self respect.
She shows Minke what he can never learn at school.' You're an educated native! While Native people are not educated, it is you who must ensure they become educated. You must, must, must speak to them in a language they understand.'
The editor of the newspaper he used to write while attending HBS challenged him to write in Malay, the language of the Natives. This leads him to learn about his own society, the peasants, the injustice, the gap between theories and the reality, and more importantly about himself.' Good, you have admitted that. Now, if a Native starts to talk to you in high Javanese will you advise him to switch to low Javanese? Ha, you can't answer. You are still not able to give up the comforts and pleasures that are yours as an inheritance from your ancestors -rulers over your own native fellow countrymen. Yea're a cheat!
The ideals of Liberty, Equality, and Fraternity of the French revolution?I shriveled in shame. Yes, I had to admit it: I was still unable to give up the benefits of my heritage. When someone spoke to me in low Javanese, I felt my rights had been stolen away. On the other hand, if people spoke to me in high Javanese, I felt I was among those chosen few, placed on some higher plane, a god in a human's body, and these pleasures from my heritage caressed me.' The story is also about people fighting back, resisting the worst of colonial oppression and greed. The world is changing in the early 20th century.
China is awakening, Japan is considered equal to the West, and the Filipino people have created the first Asian republic (although briefly).' We fought back, Child, as well and as honorably as possible.' This is the second volume of the Buru Quartet, a story about Indonesia in roughly 1900, and coping with /withdrawing from Dutch rule - the Dutch certainly don't seem to have much to recommend them as colonial masters. The story is about a Javanese writer/journalist who was married to a half-breed who was then taken away from him by her Dutch father's family, and then died - Minke, the main character continues to live with his strong-willed mother in law, a Javanese woman who overcame the This is the second volume of the Buru Quartet, a story about Indonesia in roughly 1900, and coping with /withdrawing from Dutch rule - the Dutch certainly don't seem to have much to recommend them as colonial masters.
The story is about a Javanese writer/journalist who was married to a half-breed who was then taken away from him by her Dutch father's family, and then died - Minke, the main character continues to live with his strong-willed mother in law, a Javanese woman who overcame the hardships of being forced into a concubinage at an early age, and who certainly is one of the strong women of literature. This is the second book of the quartet and i really wish i didn't wait so long after reading the first before reading this one. I read the first book almost a year ago or more and i couldn't remember some events which were kind of important. They weren't essential to the plot of the second but they were mentioned and i was dissapointed i couldn't recall them. I think i would've liked it even more had i been able to remember much of the first book.
Other than that though i really enjoyed this this is the second book of the quartet and i really wish i didn't wait so long after reading the first before reading this one. I read the first book almost a year ago or more and i couldn't remember some events which were kind of important. They weren't essential to the plot of the second but they were mentioned and i was dissapointed i couldn't recall them. I think i would've liked it even more had i been able to remember much of the first book. Other than that though i really enjoyed this book, equally as much as i remember enjoying the first. Minke and all of the other characters return and carry on in their various colonial/anti-colonial roles and discussions.
Minke learns he needs to be more involved with his people rather than with the dutch colonialist aristocracy he mainly associates himself with and his main dilemma throughout is whether he should write in dutch or his native language. If he writes in dutch or even english the world can read it but the people cant and also wont trust him, but he considers the native language of his country to be crass and thinks the people are mostly illiterate so they wont read his writings anyway. He basically is being compelled by circumstances as well as all of his friends and acquaintances to step out of his aristocratic/educated role and give up his ingrained misgivings about class in javanese society, similar to what he had to deal with in his misgivings about the role of women in javanese society in the first book. The second volume is more meditational and reflexive.There is no much action (compared to the first volume) but there is more internal struggle, self-reflection and questioning. The now fully established journalist Minke has to solve various dilemmas: should he write only in the language of the colonizer (Dutch) or also in Malay and Javanese (for his people)? Should he side with the oppressors and their interests or should he side with the oppressed (peasants, women etc)?
Should he accept The second volume is more meditational and reflexive.There is no much action (compared to the first volume) but there is more internal struggle, self-reflection and questioning. The now fully established journalist Minke has to solve various dilemmas: should he write only in the language of the colonizer (Dutch) or also in Malay and Javanese (for his people)? Should he side with the oppressors and their interests or should he side with the oppressed (peasants, women etc)?
Should he accept unconditionally the Western civilization or should he reject it?I liked a phrase he used in this volume: some people do not want to get involved in public affairs. It is as if they want to fall asleep and when they wake up back.the change already has happened without them.Is by far one of the most satisfying (and deep) readings I have had in a long while. This is the second book in the quartet of novels known to some as the Buru Tetralogy. Minke, a Native, while in the process of recovering from the loss he experienced before tries to understand more about his identity and an identity as part of a nation.Minke, though educated at the prestigious Dutch HBS secondary school, must accept the fact that he really doesn’t know his own nation.
He gradually realizes that the Dutch occupation did not intend to civilize the Indies, but to brutalize it and This is the second book in the quartet of novels known to some as the Buru Tetralogy. Minke, a Native, while in the process of recovering from the loss he experienced before tries to understand more about his identity and an identity as part of a nation.Minke, though educated at the prestigious Dutch HBS secondary school, must accept the fact that he really doesn’t know his own nation. He gradually realizes that the Dutch occupation did not intend to civilize the Indies, but to brutalize it and rob it of sugar wealth and autonomy. He finally sees the facts on society (his society) that he never thought before. He sees that the power of those sugar companies with its money politic can really destruct people. Meanwhile, he also struggles a battle with himself about the sense of liberality and egalitarian which he has already learned from school and books about French revolution and finds out that he couldn’t apply them within himself.In this book, Minke finally gets a greater understanding of the possibilities of independence and stronger voices with which to shout. Though the story might sounds a bit preachy, it does give a good sense of emerging strains of nationalism.
Toer also gave a very intriguing example from the Philippines who had revolted against the Spanish by the time.Another way to learn about history in a rather different perspective from what we’ve got in our history books.' Tanpa mempelajari bahasa sendiri pun orang takkan mengenal bangsanya sendiri.” -Kommer'Kau pribumi terpelajar!
Kalau mereka itu, pribumi itu, tidak terpelajar, kau harus bikin mereka jadi terpelajar. Kau harus, harus, harus bicara pada mereka, dengan bahasa yang mereka tahu.” -Jean Marais. The adventure of Minke continues (along with the building of Hindia Nation) in this book, the second part of Buru Tetralogy. Pramoedya beautifully capture what might have happened in the beginning of 20th-Century Hindia from a perspective of both aristocracies and proletariats.
The rise of Japan and the revolution in Philippine impacted the stagnancy of Asia’s position in world league, kind of tickled colonialism a bit, a threat.Living a post-Annelies life, Minke faced a dilemma of claiming The adventure of Minke continues (along with the building of Hindia Nation) in this book, the second part of Buru Tetralogy. Pramoedya beautifully capture what might have happened in the beginning of 20th-Century Hindia from a perspective of both aristocracies and proletariats. The rise of Japan and the revolution in Philippine impacted the stagnancy of Asia’s position in world league, kind of tickled colonialism a bit, a threat.Living a post-Annelies life, Minke faced a dilemma of claiming himself as a nationalist without even having an extensive knowledge of his own Hindia’s social condition and culture. This situation made him realizes to do more engagement with other locals and start writing in mother’s-tounge language. It is so easy to relate the confusing nationalism with the question you might have asked to yourself: what is so Indonesia about Indonesia?
What is so Indonesia about you?A very beautiful writing, Less romance, more ideology (rising socialism?). We could dig more the character intimacy of Nyai Ontosoroh, Marais, Kommer, Darsam, Panji Darman, Nijman, and Sastro Kassier. This sequel is even better than ‘Bumi Manusia’!Thank you, Minke.CP. Child of all Nations (Anak Semua Bangsa) is the second in the Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s Buru Quartet, so called because it was conceived on the island of Buru— where he was imprisoned without trial in 1965 when the military dictatorship of President Suharto cracked down on anyone suspected of communist sympathies. Access to books and writing materials were prohibited in the prison, but Pramoedya narrated his novels to his fellow-prisoners, and was finally able to write them down in 1975.
Child of Child of all Nations (Anak Semua Bangsa) is the second in the Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s Buru Quartet, so called because it was conceived on the island of Buru— where he was imprisoned without trial in 1965 when the military dictatorship of President Suharto cracked down on anyone suspected of communist sympathies. Access to books and writing materials were prohibited in the prison, but Pramoedya narrated his novels to his fellow-prisoners, and was finally able to write them down in 1975.
Child of All Nations was finally first published in 1979 in Jakarta, and was translated (along with the rest of the Quartet) into English in 1982 by a courageous Australian staffer called Max Lane, (who was promptly recalled because of Indonesian displeasure at having these novels disseminated to the international community, you can read his story here).Impressive as Max Lane’s mammoth contribution was, IMO it’s high time there was a new less clunky translation. In the 2012 interview at Asymptote about whether he was able to retain the literary qualities of the original, Lane says that his focus was on retaining the ‘foreignness’ of the original, and that he expected the reader to do some work of interpretation and digestion of language.Thus I kept quite a few terms in Indonesian, leaving them in italics. I do notice that in later editions the publisher has removed the italics for many words. Why make familiar something which should not be familiar? Late 19th century Java in the Netherlands Indies should not appear so familiar to a later 20th century reader.
In many cases, however, the examples are mainly minor in reality.I am not suggesting for a moment that this approach was wrong, and I like what he says about his translation work as the translation of ideology and perspective, not just text. No, for me, it is what he concedes about issues also in sentence structure and tenses that deserves a new translation, and I don’t say that as a grammarian, but merely as a reader who expects language to flow whether in translation or not. For example:He was afraid. And his body could not carry his longing to be away from this frightening place. There was only one thing that proved he was still alive: the never-subsiding shout in his heart—live, live, I must live, live live!and on the same page:Paiman wanted very much to ask for help, but even his tongue would not work for him.
(p.122)The book also merits an update on the publisher’s introduction, which retains its long out-of-date information from 1996 i.e. That Pramoedya (who lived out his last years in Australia and died in 2006) is currently under city arrest in Jakarta where his books are banned. It’s now over 20 years since the Fall of Suharto and Indonesia is a functioning democracy, not a dictatorship. A writer of Pramoedya’s stature, Indonesia’s most prominent author and contender for the Nobel Prize, deserves betterChild of All Nations continues the story of Minke’s political awakening in Indonesia’s colonial era as depicted in This Earth of Mankind, and this book is one where I think it’s best to read its predecessor in the series first. There is a large cast of characters, most of whom featured in Book #1, and it might be hard to follow events if you haven’t read This Earth of Mankind first. (See my review).To read the rest of my review please visit.
Inspite of the definitely political bent of this book Toer has managed to keep the plot flowing and consistent. The writing is impeccable, clear and descriptive. This is the 2nd of the Buru Quartet (tetralogy) written when the author was imprisoned by the Dutch for 13 years for his role in the Indonesian revolution. Very interesting charactersAmazon: In Child of All Nations, the reader is immediately swept up by a story that is profoundly feminist, devastatingly anticolonialist—and full of Inspite of the definitely political bent of this book Toer has managed to keep the plot flowing and consistent. The writing is impeccable, clear and descriptive.
This is the 2nd of the Buru Quartet (tetralogy) written when the author was imprisoned by the Dutch for 13 years for his role in the Indonesian revolution. Very interesting charactersAmazon: In Child of All Nations, the reader is immediately swept up by a story that is profoundly feminist, devastatingly anticolonialist—and full of heartbreak, suspense, love, and fury. Pramoedya immerses the reader in a world that is astonishing in its vividness: the cultural whirlpool that was the Dutch East Indies of the 1890s. A story of awakening, it follows Minke, the main character of This Earth of Mankind, as he struggles to overcome the injustice all around him. Pramoedya's full literary genius is evident in the brilliant characters that populate this world: Minke's fragile Mixed-Race wife; a young Chinese revolutionary; an embattled Javanese peasant and his impoverished family; the French painter Jean Marais, to name just a few. There are far, far smarter people than me who have far, far smarter things to say about this.
This novel rocked my world and left my head spinning. All I can is that Child of All Nations tackles everything and does it so freaking well. Here is just the beginning of a list.- The roles of 'true' journalism and press in a propagandist system- Language politics that play out right on the page- Gendered power dynamics that can be subverted, even if just momentarily- Commercialism and the There are far, far smarter people than me who have far, far smarter things to say about this. This novel rocked my world and left my head spinning. All I can is that Child of All Nations tackles everything and does it so freaking well. This second volume of the Buru Quartet picks up from the first volume (This Earth of Mankind) with the early stirrings of anti-Dutch nationalism in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) in the early 20th century.
It continues the story of Minke, a talented young native with a rare Dutch education whose awakening to the oppression, injustices, and racism of the colonial system accelerates through family tragedy and his experiences as a young journalist. Interesting characters, plot twists, This second volume of the Buru Quartet picks up from the first volume (This Earth of Mankind) with the early stirrings of anti-Dutch nationalism in the Netherlands East Indies (now Indonesia) in the early 20th century.
It continues the story of Minke, a talented young native with a rare Dutch education whose awakening to the oppression, injustices, and racism of the colonial system accelerates through family tragedy and his experiences as a young journalist. Interesting characters, plot twists, and local settings in a complex multiracial, multicultural society, as well as insights (both specific to Indonesia and general to the worldwide colonial empires of the time) into the economics, politics, cultures, and behaviors of colonial victors and victims. I look forward to the third volume. Much cooler than the first one. Gone is the poorly written romance, and the creepy scenes with Dr Martinet, replaced with scene after scene of Nyai Ontosoroh being badarse, colonial power holders being shown as the pricks they were and Minke growing as a person. Still has some pacing issues with long and kinda boring asides, as well as some things that are a bit hard to follow (the latter possibly being due to problems with the translation)I'm motivated to ramp up my Indonesian skils to read the Much cooler than the first one. Gone is the poorly written romance, and the creepy scenes with Dr Martinet, replaced with scene after scene of Nyai Ontosoroh being badarse, colonial power holders being shown as the pricks they were and Minke growing as a person.
Still has some pacing issues with long and kinda boring asides, as well as some things that are a bit hard to follow (the latter possibly being due to problems with the translation)I'm motivated to ramp up my Indonesian skils to read the final scene in the original language though.
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