Eastern Promise
Last month, the Makassar International Writers Festival was held in Makassar, capital of South Sulawesi province, clearly proving that the literary scene in many of Indonesia's eastern areas has been thriving. New talents have been emerging from the diverse areas in the provinces there, reviving local literary tradition by preserving the works of their predecessors and by creating innovative writing while fostering the growth of a new generation of literary figures. Tempo English reports from South Sulawesi and East Nusa Tenggara.
July 30, 2013
On the Trail of Bugis Literature
What started as a students association has produced some of Makassar's most well-known writers. Now the Tamanlarea Literature Community is compiling an anthology of eastern Indonesian literature.
Aslan Abidin was trying to track down the work of an old poet. He was having a hard time. The poet was A.M. Dg Myala, a Makassar native and a contemporary of the Pujangga Baru generation of Indonesian literati (1933-1942).
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