This morning news was so shocking, writer Budi Darma has passed away. To tell you the truth, this was the most shocking news I have ever had after some time as I remember communicating with him through Whatsapp to ask him how the translation of his book “People from Bloomington” is going. As I have been informed, that short stories collection book which originally written in the Indonesian language will be launched by Penguin Classics next April 12, 2022 and even the pre order has been opened in many internet websites.
Writer Budi Darma was born in a small town called Rembang of Central Java on April 25th, 1937 as the fourth son of six sons in the family. During his childhood time, Budi Darma always moved from one city to another to follow his father’s duty as a Postmaster. Writer Budi Darma was 84 years and 4 months old when he passed away, knowingly after his 20-day struggle against Covid19, which struck him, his wife, his son, and his family assistant.
Budi Darma got his undergraduate degree in English literature from Department of Western Literature, School of Literature at University of Gajah Mada in 1963, and later on he attended the International Writing Program at University of Iowa during 1969-1970. Soon afterwards he got the scholarship to study Humanities at East-West Center at the University of Hawaii in 1970-1971. Finally to continue his study further, he studied English Literature at Indiana University at Bloomington and received his Master’s degree in English Literature in 1976, and in 1980 he received his Ph.D degree in English Literature with dissertation title “Character and Moral Judgement in Jane Austen’s Novels”.
After completing his doctorate study at Indiana University at Bloomington and returned to Indonesia, Budi Darma was appointed as Dean of School of Language and Literature Education at Education University of Surabaya (IKIP Surabaya) from 1984 to 1987, later on he was promoted as President of Education University of Surabaya from 1988 to 1992. After completing his duty as President of the university, Budi Darma returned to his former position as Professor of English Literature at State University of Surabaya (Unesa), the new name of Education University of Surabaya (IKIP Surabaya), until he retired at the age of 70 in 2007. As Emeritus Professor, Budi Darma continued his serving as an educator until his passed away in 2021. Budi Darma is in the list of Who’s Who in The World and Indonesian Writer Encyclopedia.
Budi Darma is one of productive, prominent, and influential writers in Indonesia. His work characterized by strong detail personalized role, with little bit gloomy character, sometimes asocial, as a product of surrounding society. He has produced 12 literature-related books so far, written from as early as 1981 to late 2021, in the form of English literature textbook, short stories, short stories compilation with other writers, novels, and translated book which will be published by Penguin Classics in next April 2022.
Memorizing the book titles written Budi Darma one by one is not an easy task, as how productive he was as a writer, with a lot of variation of books he has written, in a relatively long period of career, literally a lifelong career. His works are as follows: short stories compilation titled “Orang Orang Bloomington” (literally means “People from Bloomington in 1981, novel “Olenka” (1983), literature essays compilation “Solilokui” (1983), novel “Harmonium” (1995), novel “Ny Talis” (literally means “Mrs. Talis”, 1996), novel “Rafilus” (1998), short stories compilation “Kritikus Adinan” (literally means “Adinan Critics”, 2001) which later be published with another title “Laki-Laki Lain dalam Secarik Kertas” (literally means “Another Man in a Piece of Paper”, 2011), prose compilation of writers Budi Darma, Yusi Avianto Pareanom, Sony Karsono, Linda Kristanty, and others titled “Prosa: Obsesi Perempuan Berkumis” (literally means “Prose: Moustached Woman’s Obsession”, 2003), short stories compilation by Budi Darma, Triyanto Triwibowo, Eka Kurniawan, and Nugroho Suksmanto titled “L.A. Underlover: The Story of Angels & The City of Angel” (2008), novel “Conversation” (2015), textbook titled “Pengantar Teori Sastra” (literally means “Introduction to Literature Theory”, 2020), short stories compilation by Budi Darma, A. Mustofa Bisri, Ayu Utami, Triyanto Triwikromo, Raudal Tanjung Banua, and other writers titled “Cerita-Cerita Pengantin” (literally means “Stories of Wedding Couples”, 2020), and last but not least “People from Bloomington” which will be published by Penguin Classics on April 12th, 2022.
As a prominent and influential writer as well as productive in writing various kinds of essays, prose, short stories, and novel, writer Budi Darma has received a lot of appreciation from various parties both in Indonesia and aboard. His novel “Olenka” (1983) received first place award in Romance Writing Competition held by The Art Council of Jakarta in 1983, and therefore entitled to have Literature Award of The Art Council of Jakarta. One year after, in 1984 writer Budi Darma received SEA Writer Award, and shortly afterwards received Art Award from the Government of Republic of Indonesia.
Maybe you keep questioning me why I try so hard to write Obituary for Writer Budi Darma ? Although I was an alumni of Computer Science Department of Indiana University at Bloomington in class of 1989, I feel that I am able to appreciate all kind of arts including literature work by literature writers, among others is because my father was an Associate Professor of Indonesian Literature at Education University of Malang when I was in elementary, junior high, and senior high schools. My father’s book shelves were filled with Indonesian as well as Malaysian literature books. I noticed because Malaysian literature book such as “Hang Tuah” was written in “Jawi” letters or simple stroke Arabic letters instead of English letters. I have read most of my father’s books and concluded that most of the stories in Indonesian old literature books are about Dutch and Japanese occupation in Indonesia. Some of the books telling stories after Indonesian got Independence recognition from the Dutch in December 1949, and only a handful of books telling stories after Indonesian political landscape became rather westernized after The New Order ruled in 1966 and after. That is the reason that by reading Writer Budi Darma’s book “Orang-Orang Bloomington” (“People from Bloomington”), I can sense a new “genre” in Indonesia’s literature which portrays people a bit gloomy which never been written by previous Indonesian writers.
To tell the truth, my relationship with Writer Budi Darma works happened coincidentally. At that time when I was confirmed that I am receiving Overship Fellowship Program scholarship from the World Bank, I began to look for some universities to study for my Master’s degree in Computer Science in early 1986. After sending some application letters to a number of universities I was interested in, I got several rejection letters which usually began with “We apologize to inform you that we decided not to admit you in this time…”. However, there were two universities that I remembered have not sent me rejection letters, those are Texas A&M University and Indiana University at Bloomington. It meant that I still had a chance to study Computer Science at least in one of those two universities.
During the long holiday before Eid al Fitr holiday June 1986, and this was known by me several years later, actually the Director of Admission of Indiana University at Bloomington has sent me letter of acceptance to study at Computer Science Department. However, during long holiday of course the fax machine in my office was turned off and consequently, the letter of acceptance was sent from Bloomington has never been printed in my office fax in Jakarta, and consequently I did not know the status of my acceptance to the program. After resuming the long holiday and I worked again in the office, the Director of Admission of Indiana University at Bloomington keep asking me whether I have decided to continue my study at Computer Science Master’s Program. After consultation with my Overseas Fellowship Program consultant, I decided to accept the offer and inform Indiana University that I will begin my Master’s Program in spring 1987.
As it was confirmed that I will for the US in October 1986 to have the English Improvement Program at EF Miami and I will stay at student’s dormitory at Florida International University (FIU) in Miami, so I rush to collect information as many as I can about the US, about Indiana University, at about the city of Bloomington, by reading books in my office library in Jakarta. Surprisingly, one of my elder sister who works as Assistant Professor at a state university in Semarang told me that there was a book about Bloomington written by Budi Darma and the title was “Orang-Orang Bloomington” (literally means “People from Bloomington”).
I rushed to the biggest bookstore in Jakarta, Gramedia, to look for book titled “Orang-Orang Bloomington” written by Budi Darma. I was lucky to see there were 5 books in the stock and I bought all those books and distribute it for my office friend, my wife, and both my sisters. The remaining is 1 book and I will bring it with me when I was leaving for Miami for having English course. In Miami, I studied English from morning to evening and at night I spent my time at FIU Library to look for books on Indiana University, especially books on the city of Bloomington. By reading Miami Herald newspaper, at a glance I read that currently Indiana basketball ranked first in the nation.
During my spare time in Miami, I read several times all the short stories in the book “Orang Orang Bloomington” (“People from Bloomington”). Slow but sure I can imagine what would be like the city of Bloomington is. Although I have been yet in Bloomington, but I have memorized that Bloomington is a snowed city with all the trees are without leaves during the winter. The popular streets in Bloomington are Third Street and Tenth Street. People from Bloomington rarely talk one another as all people are freezing and wearing winter coats. The skin of Bloomington people are pale because of freezing and when two people talk to each other, there are kind of smoke come out from their mouth during the Winter. All those things are very hard to imagine as this is the first time I arrive in the US and currently I have English course in Miami which city are of moderate temperature and have no snow.
All things illustrated by Budi Darma’s short stories book “Orang Orang Bloomington” (“People from Bloomington”) can be seen clearly when at last on 3rd January 1987 I landed in Bloomington airport from a Pilatus Porter plane owned by a subsidiary company of United Airlines which departed from O’Hare airport of Chicago. All Indonesian friends who picked me up in Bloomington airport wore thick Winter jackets. The next day when a friend of mine, Amin Zarkasi, showed me all parts of the Bloomington campus, I remembered of another source which tells stories about Bloomington, that is a movie titled “Breaking Away” which I saw in a movie theater at Bogor – the city which I studied my undergraduate – at 1979. At that time I have not yet understood that the movie was telling stories about Bloomington and its people, but I remember it is the story of four teenage males who used to spend their times swimming at a limestone quarries near the city of Bloomington, which later the four of them joined the bike racing called “Little 500” in Indiana University’s Bloomington campus. The strange is, at that time the bike track was still around IU Main Library building !
The short stories compilation book by Budi Darma titled “Orang Orang Bloomington” (“People from Bloomington”) and the movie “Breaking Away” both have opened my eyes about the city of Bloomington and all of its people, which I later proved it myself when I started to study at Computer Science Department in Indiana University at Bloomington. Therefore, remembering all of the helps of the late Writer Budi Darma, I cannot wait to read the translation of the book “Orang Orang Bloomington” to English published by Penguin Books titled “People from Bloomington” which, according to the plan, it will officially launched on 12th April 2022. Hope the book “People from Bloomington” by Penguin Books will also refresh my memories of a beautiful city which I have lived for 3 years, Bloomington. God permits !
Jakarta, 25th August 2021
- Tri Djoko Wahjono