Reflection on the Trajectory of Resistance Literature

Contemporary Indonesian literature is experiencing massive changes. If before it was enough with the imagination of writers who entered social reality, now there is an additional element that drives the creation of literary products, namely capitalist industry. As a result, literary works that used to have great representations must “go down the mountain” to touch audiences of the millennial generation.

Nisa Rengganis

Literary output is no longer able to stand alone, but tends to collaborate with other cultural media such as film and theater stages. This was conveyed by Nissa Rengganis, Lecturer in Political Science at the Muhammadiyah University of Cirebon who is actively pursuing literature in the Populi Forum “Reflections on the Trajectory of Resistance Literature”, Wednesday (23/5).

“Literature cannot be alone today. It has to be fresher," said Nissa. One of these collaborative practices was presented on a theater stage with the theme Chairil Anwar in a work entitled "Perempuan-Perempuan Chairil" in 2017. The legendary poet was played by the popular Indonesian actor Reza Rahadian and managed to capture an audience from the millennial generation. Attracting public enthusiasm in a more contemporary way has become the current era's literary movement.

This is also what causes the literary genre to shift towards "what sells well in the market" as an output and becomes a contradictory thing. Pidi Baiq, for example. This writer wrote a novel entitled Dilan which targets teenagers, which was later made into a feature film. Therefore, the choice of diction that is taken is the typical seductive diction of young people which is synonymous with gombalan. What is the quality of the work as a literary product is the next question.

Nissa admits that today people are aware that being a writer can no longer make money. In fact, the senior Indonesian writer Sapardi Djoko Damono has tasted the bitter pill of capitalist industry. How does this Professor of the Faculty of Letters, University of Indonesia (UI) deal with royalties that he does not get from book publishers? The maximum profit taken from writers by setting aside appreciation drives literary actors to do self-publishing or indie. "I also wrote a book with an indie capital of IDR 2.5 million. Currently, no one wants to appreciate a writer or creator, except with the enthusiasm of the writer himself to promote his work," explained Nissa.

Publishing an indie book is the first step. The next step is to get down to the reader. This attitude was taken by the arts community in Jogja through a book and music festival called Mocosik. How the cost of admission to a music festival is done by buying an indie book. Various literary acts that do not enter through the formal industry move to meet the audience. This, said Nissa, must then become a mass literary movement that is creative and does not give up on the market. Animo from the government or the mass media that no longer fosters a literary ecosystem needs to be addressed with innovation.

Furthermore, Nissa highlighted the development of literature. The discussion of literature which is close to political reality started from the era of the Balai librarian. Many of the novelists of this generation experienced censorship from the colonial government and the conflicts that were developed still revolved around issues of Indonesian tradition. Take for example the novel entitled Siti Nurbaya written by Marah Rusli. The man who received the title of Father Roman Modern Indonesia by HB Jassin told the story of the custom of forced marriage that hit young people at that time.

After that, the era of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana was born. In this period, the writer emphasizes social phenomena. How his imagination dwells on the reality that is happening in the midst of society is delivered with a seductive poetic atmosphere and Malay rhymes. One of his works, Poetry Nyiur Melambai, imagines an Indonesia that is orderly, safe and peaceful. Next, the era of the 45th generation. This periodization by HB Jassin was described as a reforming generation because it dared to oppose the old creeds whose vocabulary was still in the form of rhymes. "Here Chairil Anwar is fighting with words that must be free and carry more meaning," said Nissa.

Then, the 66th generation. Writer Taufik Ismail echoes this period. The man who was born in Bukittinggi, in a poetry anthology book entitled Tirani and Fortress, has spoken a lot about oppression and resistance. Literary works entitled criticism then became a popular theme among writers. WS Rendra read symbolic metaphor poems containing portraits of development which were a reproach to the New Order. Then there is Wiji Thukul, a poet whose whereabouts are still unclear for 20 years of reform, emphatically criticizing the government through his poems. Their poetry is still a fairly effective tool in various demonstrations by the people to convey resistance or oppression.

Regarding today's literature, Nissa admits that there is a new genre called fragrant literature or blue literature. This genre is placed for female literary writers who are fighting for a place for things that smell exotic in their works, whether it is about sexualism or lesbianism. Reformation in Indonesia has given rise to a phase of social, political and cultural change that has influenced the development of literature. Literature becomes more vulgar and open, also in the courage of Indonesian women writers to express various women's problems in the form of feminist literature. A number of names such as Ayu Utami, Djenar maesa Ayu, and Fira Basuki promote feminism which shows the anxiety of women in Indonesia. "I then criticize whether this is important because currently there are many women's issues that can be voiced (besides exoticism)," explained Nissa.

On the other hand, the presence of internet technology provides a new color. How can people now easily write poetry on the Facebook platform and make it viral? Compare this to the previous era where writers had to go through a rigorous selection process to be published in newspapers. The era shift from newspaper literature to cyber literature is inevitable and breaking new conventional methods will label someone as a writer if they can go to print. As a result, many people claim to be writers because it is easy to create literature through cyberspace.

Hartanto Rosojati, Researcher at the Populi Center, thinks that discussions about literature will never be separated from political behavior. These two sides that always intersect have occurred since the kingdom era. In Zoelmulder's book Kalangwan, it is explained that political-military power is in the hands of the king and religious intellectual power is in the hands of the kawi. How can the king who leads have to get support from the kawi who are literati experts.

As times change, Hartanto does see a shift in literary genres which are again related to the political context. Starting from the Balai librarian period, the new poets, the 45th generation which focused on the context of independence, the 50th generation which was known for its literary crisis, the 66th generation which paid serious attention to politics, and the 70s-200s generation who thought about Indonesianness.

Furthermore, Hartanto focuses on the problems faced by the world of literature today. Today, as Sapardi Djoko Damono also admits, what is of concern is the loss of literary critics. Not only are critics tasked with analyzing, dissecting, and assessing someone's work, but Indonesia has also started to have a deficit of people who love literature through poetry or rhymes. On the one hand, the loss of these literary lovers cannot be separated from the lack of income from literary works. On the other hand, the literary work itself continues to evolve in everyday life, where there is now virtual literature. “The era of technology reigns at all levels of life, as well as literature. Status update is also a literary work. How to play with words to influence followers," said Hartanto.

Like and share a thought or literary work that inspires and influences the reader's perception is a characteristic of virtual literature. It's just that, in an ecosystem like this, the lack of quality is a problem because millennials lack literacy. In addition, there are no new literary figures like Chairil Anwar who can whet the appetite of young people. Even so, Anto is straightforward, we must not be pessimistic about literature in the future.*
(M Engge Kharismawati)