Tjung Tin Jan

Tjung Tin Jan was a prominent Indonesian politician and lawyer of Chinese Indonesian origin. He was born in Sungai Selan, a town in the heart of Java, in 1919. He was the firstborn son of a teacher and a rice trader. His father was a descendant of Eduard Douwes Dekker, the famous Dutch writer who used the pen name Multatuli. Tjung received his education at a Dutch school and learned to speak several languages, including Dutch, English, German, and Arabic. He developed an interest in literature and journalism, and started working as a typist and a reporter for various newspapers and magazines. He also joined the nationalist movement that sought independence from the Dutch colonial rule. He was arrested by the Dutch authorities in 1947 and imprisoned until 1949 for his involvement in the Indonesian Revolution. After Indonesia gained its independence, Tjung continued his literary and political activities. He wrote several articles and books that reflected his personal and national experiences. Some of his most notable works include De Beteekenis van de Kleine Soenda Eilanden voor de Etnografie van den Indischen Archipel and De Toekomst van den Indischen Archipel. He also co-founded the Indische Partij, the first political party in the Dutch East Indies that aimed for self-government. He also adopted the name Jani Arsadjaja, meaning faithful heart, to show his affinity with the native population. He was arrested again in 1965 during the anti-communist purge that followed the failed coup attempt. He was detained without trial for 14 years, mostly on the island of Buru, where he was subjected to torture and isolation. He was not allowed to write or read, but he managed to compose his novels orally and recite them to his fellow prisoners, who memorized and transcribed them. He was released in 1979, but he remained under house arrest in Jakarta until 1992. He was also banned from publishing or traveling abroad, and his books were censored and burned by the authorities. Despite his persecution, Tjung gained international recognition and acclaim for his literary works. He was nominated several times for the Nobel Prize in Literature, and he received many awards and honors, including the PEN Freedom to Write Award, the Magsaysay Award, and the Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres. He was also a cause célèbre for many human rights and freedom of expression activists, who campaigned for his release and his right to write. Tjung died in 1994, at the age of 75, from unknown causes. He was survived by his third wife, Nelly Kruymel, and his five children. He was buried in Jakarta, where thousands of people attended his funeral. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indonesian writers and politicians of all time, and his works have been translated into many languages and read by millions of people around the world.