Testimony (e-book) (used book) | Rendra Rendra | bookbook.eu

Description

I hear the sound of wounded, screaming animals.
There are men shooting at the moon.
There are birds falling from their nests.
It is time to rise. To bear witness. To protect life.
From the poem "I Hear the Sound"

Rendra (1935-2009) is one of Indonesia's most important poets and dramatists. During his lifetime he embodied the Indonesian sense of what a true artist should be. He was a flamboyant personality, often dubbed "the peacock". His dedication to his art was absolute, and he gave honest and creative expression to his emotions and thoughts. His writing used a simple, flexible, long-limbed free verse that is attractive and immediately accessible.

Raised within a mystical Javanese milieu, Rendra saw nature, the individual and society as potentially forming one harmonious whole. In his poetry and his plays this commitment to personal authenticity and social justice was expressed through stories. He wrote about all sorts of people: himself, his family, children and grandchildren, those he met in daily life, the poor, the marginalized, victims of social injustice, women and children forced to live without love.

Rendra's criticism of New Order government development policies led to his detention and the banning of his public reading and performance of his works for almost a decade. His message to those who held power but lacked compassion was simple: "we say NO! to you". To life itself, he said: "be and continue to grow". Be present, be centered, and at the same time be constantly in motion, constantly flowing.

This book is his testimony to the sacredness of life in all its beauty.

(Translations by Harry Aveling, Burton Raffel, John H McGlynn)