Cyber-literature is a thing nowadays in which readers are able to have real-time interaction with authors, feeding them with praise or “blahs.” The digital platform may bring inspiring writers to stardom or stop them at first try at posting a short story, but its popularity in Indonesia has not yet been able to replace the prevailing vehicle for literary work: the printed newspaper.

Kompas, one of the oldest national dailies, serves as the antithesis of digital media domination by having published short stories in its Sunday edition since day one in 1965. The newspaper has archived 2,214 short stories so far and it has been a breeding ground for now famous writers and illustrators. It is still considered a prestigious destination for beginners sending in their work.

Chief editor Budiman Tanuredjo said the Sunday desk has received 12 or 13 short stories submitted every day, 4,600 titles per year on average for the past 52 years. Of them, only 50 run by the paper every year.

“In 2014, which was known as the [presidential and parliamentary] election year, the number of submissions reached a record high of 5,600, 16 submissions per day with varied themes, and some of them were on politics,” he said in the opening speech during the Kompas Short Story Dinner on Thursday.

The awards event was held to honor the best short story writer of the year in conjunction with the daily’s 52nd anniversary on June 28. Run annually since 1992, the event changed the name this year to better express its purpose as a gathering to bring together writers and their readers.

Although the number of submissions last year was not as high as in 2014, Budiman said he found it interesting that most of the works shared the public confusion in the political situation.

“The jury shortlisted 20 stories, the contents of which interestingly have political weigh in them, as they are about political and social conflicts and corruption.”

One of the short stories that were compiled in a book launched at the awards night was entitled Tanah Air (Motherland), written by former Tempo journalist and writer Martin Aleida. The piece of fiction was inspired by his interview with an Indonesian woman in the Netherlands during his research conducted early last year on Indonesians who have been exiled since the New Order.

The woman was the wife of an Indonesian sports journalist assigned to cover a sports events abroad. However, being barred from coming home led him into exile in Beijing. Somehow he managed to escape and hide in the Netherlands. His wife and children joined him a year later.

“She bluntly told me about her personal issues and family affairs, about her husband’s suicide. I asked her how I could write her story in my report and she told me a publication had run her story omitting the name of her husband and their son. So I decided to write it as a short story,” said Martin.

His writing was named the Best Short Story of the Year, the first for him after being on several shortlists. This year, he competed against many big names in the literary world, including Putu Wijaya, Seno Gumira Ajidarma and Sori Siregar. Triyanto Triwikromo received a Lifetime Award for having most of his works published.

“For me, [writing] literature in general and especially short stories is deliverance. By writing the woman’s story I took a chip off my shoulder and could start with writing the report on my research, which will be published next month,” added Martin.

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