Ismail, Taufiq

Taufiq Ismail born in Bukittinggi, West Sumatra on 25 June, 1937, is a poet and writer. A supporter of the Cultural Manifesto (Manikebu) in 1963, he became known as a cultural figure associated with the 1966 anti-Sukarno student generation. Manikebu criticised the overtly political nature of culture under Sukarno and the growing influence of Lekra, the People’s Cultural Institute, the cultural organisation linked to the Indonesian Communist Party, the PKI. Ismail’s publications include poetry collections Tirani [Tyranny] (1966), Benteng [the Fort] and Malu (Aku) Jadi Orang Indonesia [I am Ashamed to be an Indonesian], 1998. Ismail has consistently maintained his anti-communist stance by opposing the awarding of the 1995 Ramon Magsaysay Award in the Philippines to Lekra-linked writer Pramoedya Ananta Toer, and through his own writings, such as his 2004 book Katastrofi Mendunia [Widespread Catastrophe] 2004, a social commentary warning of the dangers of communism. He had a strong grudge against Pramoedya based on Pramoedya’s role in the Cultural Manifesto Affair of 1963, in which some writers, including Islmail, were censored for disagreeing with the idea that art should be linked to politics.

Ensiklopedi Tokoh Indonesia, https://tokoh.id/tokoh/ensiklopedi/taufiq-ismail/