The Complete Poetry and Prose of Chairil Anwar

Chairil Anwar spent his childhood in Medan, Indonesia, where he was educated at a Dutch school, but in 1940 he was forced to abandon his education when he and his mother moved to Jakarta. Still, Anwar devoted his time to reading poetry and-finding his inspiration in the street life of Jakarta---to writing. Japanese and later Dutch censors prevented him from publishing much of his work. Chairil Anwar wrote at a time of great social and political upheaval-the Japanese wartime occupation of Indonesia as well as the struggle for independence from the Netherlands. His themes reflect personal and social chaos; his style makes a sharp break with the New Poets movement (Pudjangga Baru) by using rhythm, alliteration, and repetition. With the admiration of his contemporaries, he became the acknowledged leader of the postwar literary movement, Generation of '45 (Angkatan '45). Although Anwar's output is limited to some 70 poems, he made an enormous impact on modern Indonesian poetry. Perhaps no Indonesian author's writing has received as much attention, both in terms of critical analysis and of an inspiration to later literary movements, especially the Generation of '66 (Angkatan '66). In 1949, Anwar died of typhus.