Kwee Tek Hoay: The Father of Indonesian Literary “Realism”

Dutch East Indies Writers’ Background

In the pre-revolutionary period that was raging in the Dutch East Indies, where there were still far from movements for the youth oath or the name of Indonesia being echoed, writers who lived in the midst of the colonial era, especially in the Dutch East Indies, were tightened to the point where it was difficult for them to have a presence in society.

The establishment of the ‘People’s Reading Commission’ or ‘Balai Pustaka’ in the Dutch East Indies in 1908 indicated how crucial writers were to the influence of the government at that time.

The aim was none other than the colonial government’s efforts to manage and supervise literary readings and the lives of writers living in the Dutch East Indies.

In fact, after that it was growing, during the Japanese occupation that followed, the Japanese government at that time helped establish the ‘Cultural Center’ or ‘Keimin Bunka Shidoso’. For the sake of maintaining its position over the colonial lands and anticipating and being aware of the dangers of the role of literature for a nation and art in general.

Get to know Kwee Tek Hoay

If asked who is the most influential national figure in the world of Indonesian literature?

Surely the answer, for the most part, is a figure of indigenous blood. For example, Mohammad Yamin, as the originator of the concept of Indonesia in the imagination created from his poem entitled “Tanah Air (1920)”.

Then what about the Chinese descendants of writers who also lived under Dutch pressure at that time?

Kwee Tek Hoay was born in Buitenzorg (now Bogor), on July 31, 1886. He was of Chinese descent who loved writing.

His work in the world of Indonesian literature at that time quite skyrocketed. In his time, writers did not have the flexibility to produce their works. That is why the role of Balai Pustaka during the Dutch era was quite influential for the movement of writers who lived in their contemporaries.

The more active the role of Balai Pustaka in the lives of writers at that time, a number of private publishers appeared which often produced literary works under the shadow of Balai Pustaka — one of them, many of them, was the work of Kwee Tek Hoay.

In contrast to the readings published by Balai Pustaka — using formal, high Malay — Kwee Tek Hoay publishes his works using market Malay — or low language, targeting Chinese-Malay breeders.

Comments on the Chinese Breeders Society

The focus of his works is to comment on the traditional life and socio-cultural reality of Chinese descent, which, in KTH’s view (he prefers to use his initials in his works), exposes all defects and rottenness to the public.

Among them, drama and literature — such as prose and poetry. This was associated with the life of the Chinese Chinese who lived in the Dutch East Indies at that time.

His first novel, titled Yoshuko Ochidaatawa Pembalesnnja Satoe Prampoean Japan, was published serially in Ho Po magazine (Bogor, 1905).
In the middle of his life, Kwee Tek Hoay was quite irritated by the situation around him, moreover he was born as a peranakan, but he did not close his eyes and mind to criticize the state of literature at its level.

Students, especially peranakans, prefer to read English and Dutch, which are the mother tongues of their education.

KTH also commented on Chinese cultural traditions to live economically successful and rich. Thus, he gave birth to a work that commented on this fact, namely Drama Allah yang False (1919).

The drama depicts a brother and sister who come from a poor farming family, who both become successful in their careers and finances. However, at the end of the round, the two brothers ended tragically. One due to wealth becomes cunning and selfish, while the other, commits suicide as a result of marrying because of wealth.

Life at the Journalistic Milestone

Kwee Tek Hoay is not only active in the world of literature, which sometimes only becomes a ‘trash bin’ or an excess of information which sometimes according to him cannot be included in the news column.

During his lifetime, KTH had a lot of work in magazines, such as Panorama (1926), Moestika Dharma and Sam Kauw Gwat Po (1932–1934).

Previously he also worked as a journalist for Ho Po and Li Po magazines, both of which were still in Bogor. Then, after that, KTH also worked at Sin Po magazine which was located in Batavia.

Behind the turmoil of his life as a journalist, he also expressed this experience in a drama entitled Allah jang fake (1919) — the work mentioned above.

Become an Important Figure of Religion

In the midst of the peranakan Chinese identity crisis in the Dutch East Indies at that time, Kwee Tek Hoay also participated in publishing works adhering to the Chinese religion.

Through magazines such as Sam Kauw Gwat Po and Moestika Dharma, KTH publishes works that re-teach the Tridharma of Chinese religious teachings, namely Confucianism, Buddhism, and Daoism (Taoism).

On the other hand, Kwee Tek Hoay was a figure who contributed to the revival of Buddhism in Indonesia (at that time the Dutch East Indies), especially Tridharma (Buddhism, Confucianism and Taoism).

Love for the Theater Stage

Apart from his passion for literature, Kwee Tek Hoay is quite an active figure in the theater world. He also led a theater group which was quite famous at that time.

Today’s theater groups, such as the Koma Theater, the Play Theater Group, or the Bejana Theater, have begun to perform his dramas.

The stories that are lifted come from his works, both dramas and novels, such as “Drama from Krakatau”, “Drama Gunung Api”, “Drama at Boven Digoel”, and “Bunga Roos from Tjikembang”.

Nationalism Movement

It is undeniable that his sensitivity to the surrounding conditions has made Kwee Tek Hoay also produce works that touch on political issues.

“Drama atBoven Digul” (1926) is his work which is considered monumental by some. The drama, which is approximately 800 pages thick, discusses the political problems of the communist and nationalist groups who rebelled against the Dutch East Indies government.

Through this one work, Kwee Tek Hoay raises social, political, ideological issues, to the relationship between Chinese and natives (javanese) as well as the idea of ​​nationalism, which indirectly contributed to the struggle for the movement of the spirit of nationalism, one might even say it was the movement of early writers of his time.

Father of Indonesian Realism

Known as a writer, in a matter of time during his lifetime, KTH is considered a figure of a writer who was quite prolific.

Kwee Tek Hoay can be said to be a lowly Malay literary writer, but in reality, however, the content of his works is not far off, even like works published by Balai Pustaka.

Less than 20 years, his work has more than 100 titles. The matters raised also relate to social, religious, philosophical, and Malay literary works in general, such as saga — he specifically wrote saga of Greece, India, and Ancient China.

Both his other writings, such as novels, drama, social politics, poetry, mysticism and the occult, as well as detective stories.

Through his works, Kwee Tek Hoay was also considered a writer who wrote in an unusual form, both among Malay and Chinese writers at that time — especially in the Dutch East Indies.

Malay literature and Chinese literature were known at that time to produce forms of writing that were unrealistic in nature. Meanwhile, Kwee Tek Hoay, at the same time wrote in the style of European writers (Henrik Ibsen, Charles Dickens, Harriet Becher Stowe, and even Multatuli).

His attitude which is known to write literary works in the form of ‘that realism’ is his background as a journalist. ***

Rahman, J. D., dkk. (2014). 33 Tokoh Sastra Indonesia Paling Berpengaruh. Jakarta: Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia.