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Budi Darma: A Humble Living Legend

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A. Kurniawan Ulung (The Jakarta Post)
Jakarta
Mon, June 6, 2016

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Budi Darma: A Humble Living Legend

(Photo by A.Kurniawan Ulung)

Author Budi Darma never thinks about putting down his writing pen.

Budi says that in the past he often lied when asked about his age.

“When I was 71, I said I was 17. When I was 72, I said I was 27,” he said. However, he stopped lying when he turned 77.

“Now, I am 79. If I flip it, I will be very old.”

His confession was followed by laughter from the audience at a small theater in Ismail Marzuki cultural center, where he spoke on the closing night of the third ASEAN Literary Festival (ALF) in early May.

After legendary poets Wiji Thukul and Sitor Situmorang, the festival paid tribute to Budi Darma for his contributions to Indonesian literature.

However, Budi feels that the tribute was too much.

“I feel I don’t deserve this as there are many writers whose works are far better and more influential than mine,” said Budi, who is known for his modesty.

He jokingly said that the festival paid tribute to him on account of his old age.

During the four-day festival, Budi spoke in several sessions, answering questions from young writers interested in learning “his recipe” to be a great writer.

He advised them to read lots of books because reading would not only help them expand their horizons but also deepen the quality of their work.

By reading, he said, inspiration would pop up and prevent writer’s block.

A healthy lifestyle is Budi’s recipe for maintaining a fresh appearance as a septuagenarian. He still exercises and avoids overeating.

“I used to walked for one or two hours in the morning every day,” the grandfather of one said of his routine before he turned 69. “Now, I walk for only 30 minutes.”

Budi said his hearing ability had significantly decreased. However, his cholesterol and blood glucose levels remained normal as shown by the results of his annual medical check-up.

“I also never smoked. I drink a beer once a year,” he added, laughing.

Despite his old age, he is still actively writing short stories in addition to his job as an emeritus professor at Surabaya State University, where he researches and supervises thesis work.

“I have retired. However, I am still asked to teach every day,” he said. “I also have frequent speaking engagements.” Due to his tight schedule, he never reveals his writing targets.

For Budi, writing is his obsession. Therefore, he never gets tired of it nor does he ever plan on taking a break from it.   

He recalled writing movie reviews at night for morning newspaper Tanah Air in high school.

“In my leisure time, I wrote short stories and a short novel. Its title was very sentimental and embarrassing. It’s Batas Senja [The Limit of Twilight],” he said.

Moonlighting as a writer, he was often late for school, raising the eyebrows of his teacher, who taught Indonesian.

“When I entered the classroom, my teacher called me and asked me to stand in front [of a blackboard],” he recalled. On account of that incident, he stopped writing for the newspaper.

He got back into writing while enrolled in the School of Humanities at Gadjah Mada University in Yogyakarta. He “sneaked” into the campus’ administration room to use its typewriter because he did not have such tool at home.

He wrote poems and short stories for local newspaper Kedaulatan Rakyat and magazines such as Budaya and Horizon.

Budi has authored over 38 works, including a collection of short stories entitled Orang-Orang Bloomington (Bloomington People), first published by Sinar Harapan in 1980. He wrote it while studying at Indiana University in Bloomington, the US, for his Master’s degree in the 1970s.

He is over the moon because, in May this year, publisher Noura Books re-released Orang-Orang Bloomington, which writer Agus Noor deems as one of Indonesia’s best and must-read short story collections.

Budi admitted that he was a bit lazy when it came to finding publishers, something that he expected younger writers to not follow.

“The young generation must be more aggressive and active in finding publishers,” he said.

Budi’s literary works have blown the minds of the country’s noted writers, including Triyanto Triwikromo, who calls Budi “a genius and incredible”.

“Budi is an author who is ahead of his time. He writes text that remains relevant, even if we read them 10 or 20 years later,” he said, adding that among Budi’s works, he really loved Olenka, which won several awards, including the prestigious SEA Write Award in 1984.  

Meanwhile, ALF director Okky Madasari says that Budi is one of Indonesia’s most influential writers, a reason why ALF honored him this year.

Okky hopes more young people learn of Budi and read his works, including Orang-Orang Bloomington, which she said would give readers “a sublime feeling”.

“Budi Darma is a living legend in Indonesian literature,” she said. “We should feel grateful because our generation still has the opportunity to meet him, to learn of his thoughts and to get inspired by him.”

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