Literary Culture Blossoms in Malang

Literary culture is blossoming in the city of Malang. Public spaces such as coffee shops make room for local literature to grow.

Kompas/Dahlia Irawati

Members of the Kobis Merajut Sastra literary community gather to learn about literature on Friday (19/1) in Malang. Interest in literature continues to grow in Malang Raya.

Literary culture is blossoming in the city of Malang in East Java. Public spaces such as coffee shops make room for local literature to grow. In this city, literary communities bloom and carry on the literary spirit.

Malang has always been closely linked to literature. Public spaces to learn the art of writing can be found in many corners of the city, such as Kafe Pustaka in Malang State University (UM), Oase Café and Library and Kijang Coffee Shop behind Maulana Malik Ibrahim State Islamic University.

Kafe Pustaka, which is owned by UM, was initiated by UM professor of literature Djoko Saryono. The place routinely holds arts, literary and culture performances. The library also provides a wide variety of reading materials. The café ends up being not only a place to make your voice heard but also a room for artistic and literary expression for people of all ages.

Oase Café and Library with its similar concept is another space for youth to gather and hold discussions, including on literary and non-literary works. Kafe Pustaka is dominated by UM students while Oase Café has more diverse visitors.

“Some communities gather here, including Gubug Tulis, Gusdurian and women’s groups,” said café manager Muis. These places provide room for local literary communities to grow.

In Malang a variety of writing methods develop, each with their own communities. One of these is the pentigraf (three-paragraph short story) form initiated by local writer Tengsoe Tjahjono.

Tengsoe established Kampung Pentigraf for local pentigraf writers and those who wish to learn to write three-paragraph mini stories to gather. Tengsoe said that a pentigraf should have clear flow, conflict and characters. The community has published a book of pentigraf and is planning to publish another one.

The Merajut Sastra (Knitting Literature) Community employs another method. In late 2016, writer Iman Suwongso established Merajut Sastrawith members of all ages and backgrounds, including writers, journalists, students and coffee shop owners. The community encourages its members to learn to write together because, through writing, knowledge will be preserved.

The community employs a unique learning method in which literary works are built through “knitting”. A member contributes several paragraphs of writing and then gives the story to another member to be continued. This goes on until, eventually, a full story is written.

There are no special restrictions given to the writers. They are told to let their imaginations go wild. This is why no one can predict how a story will end.

“This learning method through knitting will encourage people to learn how to write. Writers support one another to produce a collective work,” said Iman Suwongso. The community has also published a book of collected “knitted stories”.

Historical trace

Litterateur and Brawijaya University literature lecturer Yusri Fajar said that this short story writing method through knitting was new and refreshing. Writers commonly produce their work through individual processes. “This model of literature knitting is a refreshing concept and is interesting to discuss,” he said.

In Malang, there are many other literary communities, including Pelangi Sastra Malang, Gubug Tulis, Gubug Cerpen and the Lembah Ibarat community. All of these communities contribute to preserving Malang as one of the country’s foremost literary cities.

No wonder, then, that a statue of celebrated poet Chairil Anwar is found in the Kayu Tangan area in downtown Malang. The statue seems to symbolize Malang’s important literary history.

Malang has a rich literary history full of oral literature traditions and written works. Famous oral literature works include the legendary tale of Paitun Gundul, allegedly a vagrant who roamed the city’s streets in the 1970s. In the history of written literature, Malang is also an important part of the historical development of the nation’s literary tradition.

Suripan Sadi Hutomo’s 1994 book Kronik Sastra Indonesia di Malang (Indonesian Literature Chronicle in Malang) cited Malang’s wide variety of literary publications, including newspapers, magazines, books and even photocopied works.

Malang once had a number of local newspapers in the Dutch, Javanese and Malay languages. Handels en Advertentieblad was a Dutch-language newspaper published in Malang between 1865 and 1878. The Javanese-language Swara Malang was first published in 1937 and Malay-language Sinar Malang was published three times a week starting from 1934. These newspapers can now be found in the National Library in Jakarta.

Magazines also flourished in the city. The Sasterawan magazine published by the Malang Litterateurs’ Association was first issued in 1946. Among its editorial staff was Merayu Suka, who published novels including Mariati, Putera Mahkota yang Terbuang (The Exiled Crowned Prince) and Menanti Kekasih dari Mekkah (Waiting for My Sweetheart from Mecca).

Angin Lalu, a collection of poems published by the Malang Indonesia Youth Artist Association in 1955, is another example of literary work born in Malang. Many of the poets were influenced by Chairil Anwar.

A number of literary figures and artists from Malang in the national literary scene include Ratna Indraswari Ibrahim, Agus Sunyoto, Emil Sanossa and Hasyim Amir.

With the support of local communities and public spaces, Malang’s literary scene continues to blossom. Literature encourages people to get to know their surroundings and express their inner feelings in written form.