Last Novel of an Exiled Nobleman

Tuesday, July 30, 2013

There is cause for joy in the world of Indonesian literature. After being kept under wraps for more than 50 years, the semi-autobiographical novel Memang Jodoh by Marah Roesli, author of Sitti Nurbaya, has finally been published. The novel, which was completed for his golden wedding anniversary, could only be published after all his peers in Padang had passed away.

What is the novel about? Marah Roesli challenges the age-old customs of the Minangkabau nobility, wherein marriages between a man and a woman not of similar lineage are considered disrespectful. Tempo went in search of an explanation from his children and grandchildren about the publication of this final work of the author of the Balai Pustaka era.

. tempo : 173528255318.

This novel written by Marah Roesli, author and novelist who was published by the state-owned Balai Pustaka, had long been kept under wraps. It had never been sent to the printers nor distributed to the public and literary critics. Before he died, Marah Roesli instructed his children and descendants that this particular novel could only be published after he and all the people described in the manuscript had passed away. Marah Roesli died in Bandu

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