Ajip died at the age of 82 on Wednesday evening at the Tidar Regional Hospital in Magelang, Central Java, where he had been undergoing post-operative treatment after a fall at one of his children’s homes.

He was buried at a family cemetery in Pabelan, Magelang, on Thursday. He is survived by his wife – senior actress Nani Widjaja, whom he married in 2017 – six children, 11 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren.

Hailing from Jatiwangi, West Java, Ajip has been a prolific writer since his childhood, with his first story published in the children’s section of the newspaper Indonesia Raya at the tender age of 12.

By the age of 15, his poems and short stories had been published in prominent magazines like Siasat and Zenith. He was paid between Rp 25 and Rp 125, a substantial amount of money at a time when a kilogram of rice cost Rp 1.

Two years later, Ajip’s first collection of short stories, Tahun-tahun Kematian (Years of Death) graced bookstores in 1955. At the age of 17, he became editor-in-chief of Prosa magazine.

A year after the publication of Tahun-tahun Kematian, he published his poetry collection Pesta (Party), which landed him the BMKN National Literary Award for poetry in the 1955-1956 period, along with another award – this time for his short story collection Sebuah Rumah buat Hari Tua (A House for Old Age) for the 1957-1958 period.

So great was his love of writing that he dropped out of high school in 1956 to focus on writing full time.

While it may be an unthinkable decision for most young people, the jump was a success for Ajip.

Researcher Ulrich Kratz said in 1988 that Ajip was the most productive writer in Indonesia, with 326 works published in 22 magazines before 1983, with dozens of titles having been translated to languages like Dutch, Chinese, Japanese, English, French, Croatian and Russian.

He even lived in Japan, where he was asked to teach Indonesian literature, including in Tenri Daigaku, Kyoto Sangyo Daigaku and at the Asahi Cultural Center in Osaka, from 1980 to 2003.

Indonesian renowned literary figure Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana predicted in 1954 that Ajip would become a great poet, noting his ability to express feelings through his works.

"I learned a lot by listening to people who were much older than me and had more experience. My self-confidence to make a living as a writer became stronger," Ajip says in his autobiography, Hidup Tanpa Ijasah (Living without a Certificate).

Born into a Sundanese-speaking community, Ajip held a strong love for Sundanese culture, making efforts to preserve its language and literature.

In 1989, he started setting aside part of his earnings to present the Rancagé Literary Award every Jan. 31 – his birthday – to honor authors who preserve regional languages by using them in their works. 

Though the award only covered Sundanese literature in its beginnings, it soon began to include other regional languages, such as Javanese, Balinese, Lampung, Banjar and Batak. This year marks the first time the award has included Madura language titles, being awarded to the short story collection Kerrong ka Omba’ by Mat Toyu.

"As I learned about cultures other than Sundanese, I became aware of the specific values in Sundanese culture [...] noble and positive values that I want to maintain and develop," Ajip once said.

Throughout the years, the Rancagé Literary Award was awarded with no financial support from the government. In fact, Ajip himself was skeptical of the Tourism and Culture Ministry – the former name of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry – and expressed concern about the commercialization of culture.

Outside of the Rancagé Literary Award, his cultural preservation efforts included cofounding the H. B. Jassin Literary Documentation Center in 1977 as well as proposing to then-governor of Jakarta Ali Sadikin the establishment of the Jakarta Arts Council (DKJ) in 1968, where Ajip served as chairman for three consecutive periods from 1972 to 1981.

Other positions he held included the head of the Sundanese Writers’ Association from 1966 to 1975, as well as the head of the Indonesian Publishers’ Association (IKAPI) for two consecutive terms from 1973 to 1979.

In 2011, Ajip received an honorary doctorate from the University of Padjajaran in Bandung, West Java, for his contributions to Indonesian literature.

The chairman of the H. B. Jassin Literary Documentation Foundation, Abrory Abdul Jabbar, remembers Ajip as a figure deeply concerned for the country through his works and efforts in preserving literature and culture, particularly in shaping the nation’s character through reading.

“That was his intention, for our people to have a love of reading and understanding of the situation, so that we can become an advanced nation,” he said as quoted by news agency Antara.

Abrory said Ajip’s concern for regional languages stemmed mostly from his thinking that the nation could be united by building on regional literature. “So, by respecting and building regional literature, our love for our nation can become stronger. That is what we must thank him for.” (ste)