Forty-Six Years Later

Goenawan Mohamad writes in defense of Sidelines. Now, 46 years later, Sidelines has been replaced by Marginalia.

Goenawan Mohamad

April 3, 2023

FORTY-SIX years, 2,027 pieces, 1.5 million words, 15 book volumes later and Tempo’s Sidelines finally comes to a rest. I’ve decided to no longer write the column every week.

Naturally, there are things to be thankful for and to regret from the persistent work. But, in the end, there is a limit to what I can achieve.

The first limit is intention. The second limit is ability. I don’t intend to be the writer of Sidelines until my

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