Early Political Novels

Abstract

The novel to which I referred above was called Sitti Nurbaja (Miss Nurbaja) and was written by Marah Rusli. In mentioning this book I touch upon another source of modern Indonesian literature, rather different, though not completely separate from what has been discussed so far. Sitti Nurbaja was published by Balai Pustaka, the governmental Bureau for Popular Literature, which had been set up some years earlier, in 1908, though in a somewhat different form, but only began to unfold its wings after 1920.²⁸ Its original task had been primarily to collect and publish traditional, popular literature, which abounded in Indonesia, but until then had not been readily available. Within the framework of serving the need for good and cheap reading material for the slowly growing number of literate Indonesians, this Bureau also began to stimulate the writing of original modern books by Indonesian authors, besides providing translations of all kinds of Western literature which were considered good and useful reading according to the standards of the officers in charge of the Bureau. It is small wonder that these norms were largely dictated by the conditions prevailing in the colony. The Bureau always took a strictly neutral stand on religious issues (which meant that books with clearly religious overtones were excluded from publication); political views contrary to the policy of the Government were also unacceptable; and “immoral” literary products could find no grace with the Bureau either. Still, given these restrictions, the positive and stimulating role Balai Pustaka played in the development of modern Indonesian literature can hardly be overestimated. Against the isolated complaints about censorship and inhibitions should be put the large number of remarkable novels which were not only published by Balai Pustaka, but which also, thanks to its facilities as a Government office, found wide distribution throughout the country.²⁹