Sitor Situmorang | |
|---|---|
 Situmorang, c. 1955 | |
| Born | 2 October 1924 Harianboho, North Sumatra, Dutch East Indies |
| Died | 21 December 2014 (aged 90) Apeldoorn, Netherlands |
| Occupation | poet, writer, journalist, university lector |
| Language | Indonesian |
| Nationality | Indonesia Netherlands |
| Genre | poetry, short story, drama, essay, autobiography |
| Subject | Batak people, and others |
| Literary movement | 45 |
| Notable works | Surat Kertas Hijau |
Sitor Situmorang (2 October 1924 – 21 December 2014) was an Indonesian poet, essayist and writer of short stories. Situmorang was born in Harianboho, North Sumatra, and educated in Jakarta. He worked as a journalist and literary critic in Medan, Yogyakarta and Jakarta for a variety of newspapers and periodicals.[1]
Sitor was considered by Dutch scholar and critic of Indonesian literature A. Teeuw to be Indonesia's preeminent poet from Angkatan '45 (The Generation of '45) after the decease of Chairil Anwar. "His views were deeply influenced by French existentialism of the early fifties, and his poetic forms, as pointed by Subagio, display remarkable similarities with French symbolism (Subagio Sastrowardojo 1976)."[2] Despite the European influence he is still deeply rooted in his Batak culture.[3]
- ^ Rampan, Korrie Layun (2000). Leksikon Susastra Indonesia (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Balai Pustaka. ISBN 9796663589.
- ^ Teeuw, A. (1979). Modern Indonesian Literature. Vol. II. The Hague: Martinus Nijhoff. ISBN 9024723086.
- ^ Helmi, Kunang (13 April 2008). "Sitor Situmorang remembers his Batak childhood". The Jakarta Post. Retrieved 15 May 2012.