Literary Fluctuations in Indonesia

July 16, 2018

Literature was born from the anxiety of its writer, and all literary works are given the opportunity to live. At least, that's what I got when I joined a seminar in Bandung a few years ago. It does not stop there, the mindset is then embedded, and I agree with that statement. Because, as concrete proof, a good work is always created from the author's anxiety, which is then developed with imagination that followed by the results of research in order to make it stronger. 

Well, hi peeps! Welcome.

Yes, if we realize, Literature is more developed than other subjects. Things that were once considered taboo are now acceptable to society. In the process, there is a clear truth. There is a long process of creating a work, not with just writing it down randomly as we want.
As time passes, more and more communities are born and introduce more literature extensively. With the help of technology, we are more facilitated in producing a work. It was initially impossible to do such as eating and relaxing sleeping on the clouds, we can do with the creation of aircraft. Plus, Literature grows rapidly in cyberspace. As the result, now, Literature becomes familiar in human life. All circles have been familiar with this thing.
Still in the same seminar, based on research conducted by Yulianeta, Lecturer of Letters from UPI, there are more than 200 films adapted from short stories, poems, and novels. It enriched the field of Literature itself, particularly in Indonesia. So far, it's not strange anymore to find poetry, short stories, or novels written by Police, Traders, Doctors, or other professions. Overall, there are some facts that are implied from a work that tells social phenomenon in society. So it is not wrong if Literature known-well as a reflection of society.
But behind it all, I noted that there are still some things that must be improved in the world of Literature in Indonesia. Things that can have a big impact but seem underestimated by us (Indonesian society) in particular. Some of them are:
1.    Wild writings by ancient poets were not introduced to people, when in fact their writings were very influential in the fight against colonialism.
2.    In the process of deepening this subject, we often feel less facilitated. The real example is, good books are rarely available in Indonesian bookstores. The reason is clear, Indonesian bookstores are not too concerned with quality, the main thing for them is the market.
3.    Literature is only used as a medium of self-expression. In the sense that many people appreciate the work of Literature only to be seemed as a person who is not outdated. Reading and watching a piece of work when the work becomes a hot topic in that moment, they do it in order to join the chat of the people who are talking about that work. It makes that book reprint, only that book. It shows that Literature is not a necessity.
4.    Besides considered not a necessity, for our society, literature does not bring economic benefits like music and sports events.
5.    How many books do we read in a day? In a week, or maybe in a month. Because not many students have a good interest in reading. It was also justified by Budi Darma, professor of Literature at the State University of Surabaya (UNESA). "Jika minat baca kurang, logikanya kemampuan menulisnya juga kurang.” (“If the reading interest is less, so does the logic of writing ability.”)


Well, Literature and Language are the identity of a nation, the death of Language and Literature will kill the nation itself. So great hopes of the senior Indonesian writers, the government can help the development of Literature by facilitating either those who are working in that field or the rookies who have unlimited imagination.***

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