M. Balfas
| M. Balfas | |
|---|---|
_p228.jpg) | |
| Born |
Muhammad Salim Balfas 25 December 1922 Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Died |
5 June 1975 (aged 52) Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Occupation | Author |
| Language | Indonesian |
| Citizenship | Indonesian |
| Period | 1940s–1975 |
| Genre | Short stories, children's |
Muhammad Salim Balfas (25 December 1922 – 5 June 1975), better known as M. Balfas, was an Indonesian writer and literary critic.
Biography
Balfas was born in Krukut, Batavia (now Jakarta), Dutch East Indies, on 25 December 1922.[1] He came from an ethnic Betawi of Arab descent family. Little is known about his early life, except that he graduated from a Dutch-run high school (MULO) in 1940.[2]
Balfas began his writing career in the 1940s. His first short stories were published in Asia Raja, the official newspaper of the Japanese occupation government, in 1943. He later began contributing poems, stories, and essays to the Indonesian-run magazine Pembaroean.[3] During the Indonesian National Revolution, Balfas found employment as a reporter. He also headed the magazine Masyarakat.[2]
In 1952 Balfas released Dr. Tjipto Mangunkusumo, a biography of the resistance leader of the same name;[1] it was published by Djambatan as part of series of biographies of revolutionary leaders.[4] That same year he released Lingkaran-Lingkaran Retak (Cracked Circles), a collection of five short stories, led by "Anak Revolusi" ("Child of the Revolution").[1][5] In 1953, with Sudjati S.A., he established the magazine Kisah, which exclusively published short stories. He continued as one of the magazine's editors, with HB Jassin and Idrus, until it stopped printing in 1956.[2]
In 1956 Balfas published the children's story Suling Emas (The Golden Flute). The following year he wrote an adult-oriented radio drama, Tamu Malam (Nighttime Guest). In 1960 he published another children's story, Anak-Anak Kampung Jambu (Children of Jambu Village).[1] In 1961, he helped Jassin establish the magazine Sastra; the following year he moved to Malaysia.[2]
From 1962 to 1967 Balfas worked at Voice of Malaysia. While living in Malaysia he published his only novel, Retak: Lahirnya Sebuah Mythe (Cracked: The Birth of a Myth); it was originally entitled Aku Bukan Nabi (I am Not a Prophet).[1]
In 1968, Balfas, dissatisfied with life in Malaysia, was invited to teach at the University of Sydney.[2] In 1975 he took a year's leave to research the history of Indonesian literature.[3] Balfas died in Jakarta on 5 June 1975 after being hospitalised after a long fight with emphysema.[1][2] He was buried in Karet Bivak Cemetery.[3] He left behind an unfinished manuscript entitled Si Gomar;[2] Dutch scholar of Indonesian literature A. Teeuw describes the work as Balfas' most interesting.[6]
Themes
Lingkaran-Lingkaran Retak dealt with underprivileged groups,[7] while Retak dealt with humanism and sacrifices for one's ideology. For this, Teeuw classifies Balfas as part of the '45 Generation of Indonesian literature.[6] Jassin wrote that "Anak Revolusi", which he considered to "create its own universe",[lower-alpha 1] showcased the basic ideology and world-view Balfas used in his other works.[5] This included a belief that life was full of unexpected events, as opposed to everyone having a predetermined destiny.[4]
Personal life
Muhammad Balfas married four times. His first marriage was to his true love, a native Indonesian. However, under pressure to produce children by his family, he married an Arab woman. They had two children Fatma and Anis. Not happy in his second marriage, He accepted a scholarship to study Literature in Holland where he met Adriana Herritssen, his third wife. After eloping to London, they both travelled to Jakarta to meet the family. Unfortunately, not long before they arrived, the father of Muhammad Balfas passed away. Together they had three children, Selma, Karin and Salim. After accepting a position at Sydney University, they moved to Australia. One of his students became very close to him and eventually became his wife Wendy Solomon an Australian woman. Together they had two children; Umar & Agil. Selma, Karin & Salim lived with them until the girls left home. When Muhhamad Balfas died Salim at 12yrs old ceased living with his brothers. [3]
Notes
- ↑ Original: "... menciptakan dunianya sendiri ..."
References
- Footnotes
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Eneste 2001, p. 145.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Language Centre, M. Balfas.
- 1 2 3 4 Tempo 1975, Balfas Berpulang.
- 1 2 Jassin 1985, p. 212.
- 1 2 Jassin 1985, p. 211.
- 1 2 Teeuw 1980, p. 289.
- ↑ Teeuw 1980, p. 288.
- Bibliography
- "Balfas Berpulang" [Balfas Passes Away]. Tempo (in Indonesian). 28 June 1975. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- Eneste, Pamusuk (2001). Buku Pintar Sastra Indonesia [Handbook of Indonesian Literature] (in Indonesian) (3rd ed.). Jakarta: Kompas. ISBN 978-979-9251-78-7.
- Jassin, HB (1985). "M. Balfas: Manusia Bugil" [M. Balfas: Naked People]. Kesusastraan Indonesia Modern dalam Kritik dan Esei II [Modern Indonesian Literature in Critiques and Essays II] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Gramedia. pp. 211–214. OCLC 36434233.
- "M. Balfas" (in Indonesian). Language Centre, Ministry of Education. Archived from the original on 11 April 2012. Retrieved 11 April 2012.
- Teeuw, A. (1980). Sastra Baru Indonesia [New Indonesian Literature] (in Indonesian) 1. Ende: Nusa Indah. OCLC 222168801.
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