The artist, who later wrote his name as S. Sudjojono, wrote in his autobiography entitled Cerita tentang Saya dan Orang-orang Sekitar Saya (The Story about Myself and the People around Me) that his wife insisted to set the date as Dec. 14, 1917, because he looked younger and healthier than the people they knew who were at his supposed age.

“I am 70 years old, but for Rose and the children, I am 66. Age is not a matter to me because a person who keeps on reminding himself how old he has become dies multiple deaths,” he wrote in his memoir in 1983, few years before he was diagnosed with lung cancer.

Sudjojono, or Pak Djon as he was called by many, died on April 25, 1986.

The autobiography, published by Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia (KPG), a subsidiary of the Kompas Gramedia group, was launched on June 6 in conjunction with the opening of the master’s exhibition Hidup Mengalun Déndang (Life is a Flowing Song).

Read also: Late maestro S. Sudjojono’s sketches, memorabilia showcased in Jakarta

The book is being sold bundled with his wife’s biography entitled Kisah Mawar Pandanwangi (The Story of Rose Pandanwangi), authored by Sori Siregar.

Rose Pandanwangi, a mezzo soprano singer who has made an immense contribution to the classical opera scene in Indonesia, was an important person to Pak Djon — a feeling that was mutual.

Both books contain chapters about when they first became acquainted with each other and the influence they had on each other’s careers and creative thinking processes.

In his memoir, Sudjojono talked about his love of art, the nation and the country and of Rose, who led him to quit the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI), a now-defunct organization that was among the largest political parties in the 1960s. He joined the party in 1937 and became the party’s first representative in the legislature.

In his book, Sudjojono wrote that he didn’t share the party’s ideology, especially because it contradicted his faith in God’s existence, but he supported its idea of developing a large nation.

His banter with party leader DN Aidit led him to the decision to leave the political realm altogether, divorce his first wife, convert to Christianity to marry Rose and dedicate his life to art.

“The launch of these books is surprisingly timely considering the current condition of this nation when some people express doubt over the country’s ideology,” said Candra Gautama, who works for the publisher.

“They are must-read items for the current generations on how an individual can play a part in developing a nation.”

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