John H. McGlynn – The Lontar Foundation
“If the word of God had come down to the Indonesian archipelago, This particular is usually where the idea might have remained.”
– John H. McGlynn, Co-founder as well as Chairman of Lontar Foundation
For much of the planet, Indonesia is usually an exotic country next to Bali, as well as Java is usually where coffee comes through. the idea’s viewed as a land of smiles, of gamelan, spices, volcanoes, komodo dragons, as well as photogenic rice terraces.
the idea’s also seen from the international media as a country of natural as well as manmade disasters; tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, floods, plane crashes, deforestation as well as occasional terrorism.
There are few foreigners who make the effort to dig deeper, to discover what makes Indonesia tick. One Jakarta expat who has, as well as has also done more than most of us to make Indonesia tick, is usually John McGlynn.
Although we have friends in common, we hadn’t previously met nor had I visited the Lontar Foundation’s centre in a backstreet of Pejompongan, Central Jakarta. through the outside, the idea is usually a modern looking house, although once inside I was impressed by the comfortable decor; dark wooden floors creaked, several alcoves were lined with full although tidy wooden book shelves, as well as there were enough comfy rattan chairs to provide the familiarity of a well-run library. I was impressed too by the large oil paintings which couldn’t readily be categorised as ‘Indonesian art’, although added to the ambiance.
The purpose of our meeting was to discuss Lontar which is usually noted for its translations into English of Indonesian ‘literature’, an often capitalised word which, as a non-academic, I viewed with some trepidation. I was taught to analyse ‘classic novels’ rather than to consider the stories as well as the background circumstances of the writing. However, John defines ‘literature’, from the broadest sense of the word, “as ranging through research reports, academic treatises, as well as patent schemes all the way up to film scripts, comic novels, as well as poetry.”
John first came here in 1976 to study Indonesian, which he did first in Malang as well as later in Jakarta, at the University of Indonesia. In 1978, he returned to the the USA to complete his university studies, gaining a Masters Degree in Indonesian Literature at the University of Michigan in 1981. Thereafter, he returned to Indonesia as well as the idea was while working as a freelance translator of which he, along with Indonesian writers Sapardi Djoko Damono, Goenawan Mohamad, Subagio Sastrowardoyo as well as Umar Kayam, decided to found Lontar in 1987.
Lontar is usually primarily John’s ‘baby’. As Pak Goenawan has said, “John works single-mindedly for our purpose; to bring Indonesian literary expressions to the planet.”
Even for a polyglot, of which’s no easy matter. The lingua franca during the Dutch colonial era was Malay, the language developed throughout the region by traders over a thousand years. the idea was originally written in an Indic script as well as then, after the coming of Islam to the archipelago, in an Arabic-based script called Jawi.
Jawi Script
Then in 1901 the Dutch linguist Charles van Ophuijsen introduced a more systematic spelling system, one of which conformed with Dutch spelling practices. In 1947, after the revolution of Indonesian independence, This particular spelling system was replaced with Ejaan Yang Disempurnakan (increased Spelling). The EYD system thus represents the third orthographic change.
Indonesian grew with Javanese, spoken by the majority, as well as various other regional languages added to the complexity. the idea was not until 1972 of which the EYD system was agreed with Malaysia, which had English as well as its own regional languages contributing to the mix, as well as hence Soeharto became Suharto, as well as Djakarta became Jakarta.
All This particular was largely irrelevant to most Indonesians, the large percentage of whom could not read or write. In rural Indonesia as well as urban kampungs the fantasy worlds of such Hindu classics as the Ramayana as well as Mahabharata stories were related by a visiting dalang (puppet master) who relayed their moral values, as well as during Soeharto’s Orde Baru often inserted his political messages.
In 1870, some of the Dutch-founded schools opened the doors for bumiputera (native Indonesians), albeit a privileged few. Moreover, the idea was not until 1950 of which a six-year programme of compulsory elementary schooling was introduced to newly independent Indonesia.
Hence, when Soeharto assumed power in 1966 the literacy rate was c.50%. The adoption of ‘The Functional Literacy Program’, which ran through 1966 to 1979 as well as was followed by various other programmes, raised the literacy rate for adults to c.83% as well as for children to c.90% in 1998, the year Suharto (was) stood down. However, their aim was for economic, productive reasons rather than for freedom of thought.
By contrast, writing, especially fiction, offers the context of ‘place’ as well as, in John’s words, “the better books have real people in them” as well as can therefore be subversive – much of Indonesian literature has the nationalist struggle as the historical background. Post-independence, with the bureaucracy as well as military at their disposal, Presidents Soekarno as well as Soeharto imprisoned as well as exiled writers. The dawn of reformasi in 1998 as well as the growth of the internet as well as various other communications technology has seen many more Indonesians speaking out via text messages, blogs, social media as well as novels.
However, what John wrote from the essay Silenced Voices, Muted Expressions for an anthology of brand-new Writing through Indonesia: Indonesian Literature Today published by the University of Hawaii in 2000, still holds true today. He wrote: “Having grown up under constraints of freedom of expression as well as inquiry, an entire generation has been traumatized into becoming a society of silence as well as avoidance. Not until today’s young people have unlearned the ways of repression as well as a brand-new generation has been educated to respect as well as defend its right to freedom of expression will true openness as well as democracy come to Indonesia.”
There is usually also the need to foster a love of reading in early childhood which John believes should start at home. However, although I think of which schools have a greater role to play, many parents as well as teachers still hold the mindset inculcated during Soeharto’s regime, as well as only those who are enlightened, rather than blinkered with prejudices or self-interest, will encourage the freedom of thought engendered by easy access to fiction.
Great writing comes through wide reading, as well as access to the idea. So one of Lontar’s goals is usually “to stimulate the further development of Indonesian literature.”
In addition to its library of printed materials containing more than 3,000 books as well as various other texts related to Indonesian literature, the foundation maintains a digital library which provides preservation as well as access to materials produced as well as gathered by the foundation over its 20+ year history including:
– Videos through the Indonesian Writers Series, Indonesian Performance Traditions, as well as Wayang Kulit/Shadow Puppet Theater Series
– Audio interviews as well as recordings with Indonesian authors as well as witnesses through significant events in Indonesian history.
– Archival photographs of traditional manuscripts, colonial-era postcards, as well as historical images through the brand-new Order to the present.
Frankfurt Book Fair 2015
John McGlynn – photo by Frendi
John says of which the aim of Lontar is usually to “promote knowledge of Indonesia through its literature”, as well as the idea is usually natural of which he is usually a member of the ‘Indonesian National Committee for Preparing Indonesia as Guest of Honour in Frankfurt – 2015’.
The first Frankfurt Book Fair was held soon after Johannes Gutenberg invented the movable type printing press in around 1439. Revived in 1949, the idea is usually today the planet’s largest as well as most prestigious book fair. Since 1986 a country, or region, has been chosen as ‘Guest of Honour’.
However, with several government ministries as well as a large number of departments involved, as well as the Goethe Institut, Lontar as well as others, he thinks preparations should have been started out earlier than the end of last year, if only to have a larger range of books at Frankfurt.
over time, John has worked with more than 100 translators as well as is usually well aware of the time required to produce a literary translation of which “is usually both felicitous to the original text as well as appealing to the target audience”. However, a worrisome fact is usually of which of those 100 translators “no more than a dozen are both truly fluent both in Indonesian as well as English.”
John further notes of which “for the rest, a heavy dose of editing is usually usually required.”
However, some Great news has recently been received; the Ministry of Education as well as Culture has established a translation funding program, the ‘I-Lit (Indonesian Literature in Translation) Program’.
For those who like to carry many books on their travels, the Kindle is usually ideal, John says, although we both agreed of which with such devices something is usually lost. Printed books are shared, as well as one can learn a lot about folk by browsing their shelves of well-thumbed books.
Lontar books are available in Indonesia at Periplus bookstores as well as abroad through Amazon as print-on-demand paperbacks. They are also available as e-books through Book Cyclone.
Website: http://lontar.org/
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John H. McGlynn – The Lontar Foundation
John H. McGlynn – The Lontar Foundation