Mochtar Lubis

Abstract

Mochtar Lubis is another writer whose work must be seen in the context of the Angkatan 45, although he remained on the periphery of this movement. He did not participate in the organisation of the most important manifestations of this generation, nor did he contribute any literary criticisms. He is a Minangkabau, born in 1919¹⁸⁴ (or 1922¹⁸⁵), and mostly self-educated. As a journalist he came from Medan to Djakarta. He is a man of great capacity for work, independence and moral courage, who gained recognition as a journalist when, as chief editor of the independent newspaper Indonesia Raja, he had the courage to oppose fiercely the political concepts of Soekarno, which resulted in his being detained under house arrest and in goal from the years 1956 to 1965. Before this, he had travelled round the world a great deal, and his journalistic travel stories, some of them collected in separate books, are very readable. This is not only because of their factual content, but because of their attractive method of presentation, and the anecdotes and stories with which he flavours his reports.¹⁸⁶