Kedai Kebun

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Book Review and Discussion “Karya-karya Lengkap Sugiarti Siswadi Hayat Sastrawan Kreatif Lekra”

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Photo courtesy of Kedai Kebun Forum

Book titled Karya-karya Lengkap Sugiarti Siswadi Hayat Sastrawan Kreatif Lekra by Fairuzul Mumtaz is the thesis of the author when studying Religion and Culture Studies at Sanata Dharma University in Yogyakarta which examines the life of Sugiarti Siswadi as one of Lekra creative writer. Sugiarti Siswadi is a woman writer of Lekra. Lekra or abbreviation of the People’s Cultural Institute is a cultural institution that is ideologically aligned with the Communist Party of Indonesia (PKI). Established in 1950, Lekra develops and produces many great writers and artists. After the massacres of 1965, books and art works of PKI publications was muzzled. In book reference of Indonesian literary history Sugiarti name was not found. Fairuzul researching from the archives of Harian Rakjat and Api Kartini, steps from there he found Sugiarti role in Indonesian literature in 1950-1960s era.

Katrin Bandel, as the speaker of the book review and discussion, assume that the works of Lekra is important to read. Lekra works projecting the spirit of resisting colonialism and slavery, leaving the spirit of superstition, pride in the progress of science and knowledge, and balked at the behavior of the nobility arbitrary. Katrin also added that the more important is in the future to publish the works of other writers of Lekra both women and men.

Book review and discussion held at Kedai Kebun Forum (KKF), Friday, September 9, 2016, also presented other speakers, a novelist, Anindita S. Thayf, which more observing Sugiarti as a writer who has had a place but still not recognize in the repertoire of Indonesian literature. Sugiarti Siswadi is a prolific writer, producing 17 short stories, 5 poems, and 2 books of short story collection. Her writings were widely circulated in some media at the time. Children, women, and the working people was the concern in the works of Sugiarti.

This long titled book become important, in addition containing an academic study that deserves to be read and studied, also opened the horizons of literary works of Lekra woman who is not only many but it is also hard to find.

Book review and discussion was initiated by Brikolase, a Jogja young curator discussion forum, and IVAA (Indonesian Visual Art Archive), as a part of series of Buku Andalan events that took place at the KKF, 8 to 24 September, 2016. |Yumaya Mija|

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