Utan Kayu International Literary Biennale

A. Mustofa Bisri

Born in Rembang 10 August 1944. Learn in many traditional Islamic education: Pesantren Lirboyo, Kediri, Krapyak and Yogyakarta. Also studied in Al Azhar, whilst he likes to join many poetry reading forum included Mirbid Festival X in Iraq. His poetry books are: Ohoi, Kumpulan Puisi Balsem; Tadarus; Pahlawan dan Tikus; Rubaiyat Angin dan Rumput; and Wekwekwek.

Adriaan van Dis

born in 1946, made his debut with the novel Nathan Sid, the story of a boy that grew up between two cultures: the paradise of colonial Indonesia and the drabness of the Netherlands after the Second World War. His fascination for other cultures permeates his entire oeuvre, from his travelogues Het beloofde land (The promised land), on the farmers in South Africa, and In Afrika, on the war in Mozambique, right up to Indische duinen, which is Van Dis’s greatest success. His last book appeared in 1999: Dubbelliefde (Dual love), a splendid and strongly personal account of a young man’s maturing and his realisation of his sexual, political and spiritual nature. Dubbelliefde also became an enormous best-seller in the Netherlands.

Ahmad Tohari

Ahmad Tohari was born in the village of Tinggarjaya in Jatilawang, Banyumas on 13 June 1948. He completed his secondary education in Purwokerto and dabbled at tertiary level without ever mastering the disciplines of economics, socio-politics and medicine. Ahmad Tohari stays true to the rural life experiences that colour all his work. Ronggeng Dukuh Paruk, Lintang Kemukus Dini Hari, and Jantera Bianglala are a trilogy set in remote Dukuh Paruk, depicting the dynamic ronggeng folk dance. The works of Ahmad Tohari have been published in Japanese, Chinese, Dutch and German.

Ari Pahala Hutabarat

Holds a degree in Indonesian Language and Literature from Lampung University. He is the artistic director of Berkat Yakin Community (KoBER) and has performed in, and directed over 20 performances. He is actively involved in local and national literary avtivities. He is director of the Lampung Board of Art Literary Committee. Ari’s poem have been published in several poetry anthologies.

Changa Hickinson

Born in Aruba 1957, is one of St. Martin’s better-known and more serious poets. He has lived in Trinidad and the Netherlands and in the 1980s made St. Martin his home, where his first book, Illegal Truth was published in 1991. From the mid-1980s to the early 1990s, he became well known for his belief in Rastafari, for the recital of his thundering poetry at various cultural manifestations, as a budding actor, and as an organizer for the bus drivers association in the South of the island. Changa’s work was recently published in an anthology of St. Martin’s writings.

Chitra Gajadin

Born in Surinam 1954. Gajadin moved to The Netherlands in 1972. Her poetry describes the changing of life’s balance for Hindus leaving Surinam. Despite being part of the Sarnami movement (promoting the Surinamese/Hindustani Language), her first three poetry collections were written in Dutch: Van erf tot skai (collected in From grounds to imitation leather , 1977). The collection Kab ke yaad/Van wanneer een herinnering (From when a memory, 1984) anthologises the Sarnami poetry, along with translations in Dutch. In her stories, collected in Bari dopahar, (The Hottest Hour of the Day, 1989), she remembers and describes the country she has left. Her latest novel is Schoorvoetige tijden (2000, Hesitant Times).

Denise Jannah

Born in Suriname, 1956, Jannah is seen as one of the best jazz singers in the world. After grammar school she started a study in law, which she gave up in favour of a musical career. In 1991, by the time she graduated, her first album Take It From The Top was a fact and she had played one of the leading roles in the musical A Night at the Cotton Club. 1997 was a good year for Jannah, with a leading role in Joe the Musical, appearances for the European Union TOP and later that year for all the heads of state of Europe and the former president Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary. Denise Jannah taught at the Rotterdam Conservatorium and gives workshops and masterclasses in the Netherlands, Suriname and the U.S.A. In 2001, invited by Winternachten, Jannah started to sing poems, set to music composed by herself. This resulted in invitations for various literary festivals, amongst others Winternachten at the Antilles and in Indonesia. Her CD Gedicht-Gezongen (Poem-Sung) was launched during the Winternachten festival of January 2004 in the Hague.

Eva Christina Zeller

Born 2 July 1960 in Ulm, Eva Christina Zeller is a lyricist, writer and journalist. She studied philosophy, germanistics, the art of theatre and rhetorics in Berlin and Tubingen, and in 1988 lectured at the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. She now lives in Tubingen, where she works as a free-lance writer and as a broadcast journalist.

Frans Nadjira

was born in Ujungpandang, 3 September 1942. In 1978 he participated in the International Writin Program at Iowa University, USA. Among his published work are Jendela (Window, 1980), Spring of Fire, Spring of Tears (1988), Bercakap-cakap di Bawah Guguran Daun-daun (Conversaions under Falling Leave, 2004).

Grant Caldwell

teaches creative writing of poetry and fiction, theatre, art, photography and cinema in Australia and overseas. Eastern philosophy, Australian and international politics, the environment and education are his areas of interest. His collections of poetry include Dreaming of Robert de Niro (2003) and You Know What I Mean (1996), nominated for The Age Book of the Year Award. His novel Malabata (1991), was nominated for the Australian Human Rights Award.

K. Sello Duiker

Born in Soweto at the height of apartheid in 1974, K. Sello Duiker commited suicide in Johannesburg, January 2005. He received the 2001 Statebonds prize for the best African debut for his first book Thirteen Cents (2000), a powerful short novel about the seamy side of Capetown. Despair, uncertainty and survival instincts are the themes explored in a setting of prostitutes, gangsters and hunger reprieved by moments of hope and happiness. His second novel The Quiet Violence of Dreams (2003) is about a student that experiences an identity crisis. In Duiker’s work the individual insanity can never be separated from the improbable country in which his stories take place.

Linda Christanty

Born on the island of Bangka in 1970, Linda Christanty is a writer and journalist. Her first short story received an award from Kompas in 1989. Her anthology of short stories, Maria Pinto’s Flying Horse won the Khatulistiwa Literary Award in 2004. Besides writing fiction, she also writes features for various media. She once worked as editor at Pantau, a magazine observing the media and journalism in Indonesia, and also has written scripts for radio dramas. She now lives in Banda Aceh and heads the Pantau Foundation news office.

Nukila Amal

Born in Ternate, Indonesia, in 1971, Nukila Amal has had her 2005 short story collection, Laluba, named Best Literary Work of the Year by Tempo magazine, and her novel Cala Ibi (2003) shortlisted for the Khatulistiwa Literary Award. Both works have marked the latest phenomenon in Indonesian literature by their détournement from the tradition of story telling and conventional narrative forms. At present, she serves on the Literature Committee of the Jakarta Arts Council.

Oka Rusmini

Born in Jakarta, 11 July 1967. Among her published work are Tarian Bumi (200) and Sagra (2001). To follow are Kenanga (novel) and Patiwangi (collection of poetry). In the beginning of 2003 she read her work at the Winternachten Poetry Festival in Holland. Currently resides in Bali.

Putu Wijaya

Born in Tabanan, Bali, 11 April 1944. Completed his studies at the Law faculty of Gajah Mada University in Yogyakarta. This member of Bengkel Teater (1960) and Teater Ketjil (1970) established and headed Teater Mandiri in Jakarta. Putu once lived in a commune in Ittoen, Japan (1973). Participated in a few festivals and international literary and theater programs such as the Iowa International Writing Program (1974-1975) and World Theater Festival in Nancy, France (1975). Has published various novels, collections of short stories and theatere scripts.

Raudal Tanjung Banua

Studied theatre at the Yogyakarta Arts School (ISI). Previously contributing to daily newspapers Semangat and Haluan. A member of Sanggar Minum Kopi, Denpasar and has studied poetry under the tutelage of Umbu Landu Parangi. In 2004 he received the accolade for best poetry Sih Award from Jurnal Puisi and one of his short stories won the Horison Literature Prize. Now he manages Komunitas Rumah Lebah in Yogyakarta and AKAR Indonesia that publish the Indonesia short story journal.

Sapardi Djoko Damono

Born in Solo, Central Java, 20 March 1940. Teaches at the Literature Faculty of Indonesia Universit since 1975; now holding professorship. Once active as editor of cultural and literary journal Kalam, Basis, Horison, Tenggara (Malaysia). Amongh is works are DukaMu Abadi (1969), Mata Pisau (1974), Perahu Kertas (1983; achieved the Jakarta Arts Council Literature Award), Sihir Hujan (1984), Hujan Bulan Juni (1994), Arloji (1998), Ayat-Ayat Api (2000). He also translates worl literature such as Enest Hemingway’s Old Man and the Sea (1973), Selection of Poetry by George Seferis (1975), Classical Chinese Poetry (1976), Classical Farsi Lyrics (1977), A Restless Africa (1988).

Timur Sinar Suprabana

Born in Solo, 4 May 1963, Timur Sinar Suprabana has written short stories, essays, cultural reportage and poems that have been published in printed media across Indonesia. Based in Semarang, he is well-known as a poet and for his particular art of performance poetry.

Triyanto Triwikromo

is a short story writer, author of the anthology Sayap Anjing (Dog Wings, Published by Kompas, 2003), Children Sharpening the Knives (Masscom Media, 2003), and Rezim Seks dan Ragaula (Aini, 2002). His short story, Mata Sunyi Perempuan Takroni was selected as one of the best of 2002 by Kompas. He currently works as a reporter and daily literary editor for the Suara Merdeka, Semarang.

Umbu Landu Paranggi

Born in Sumba, East Nusa Tenggara, 10 August 1943. With Ragil Suwarna Pragolapati, Teguh Ranusastra Asmara and Iman Budhi Santhosa, established the Persada Study Club, 5 March 1969, in Yogyakarta, which became the cradle of young writers in Yogya in the 70s and 80s. Among his works are Melodia, Maramba Ruba, and Sarang. His anthology of poetry is published under the title Sabana. He is currently on the editorial of Bali Post.

Warih Wisatsana

Born in Bandung, West Java, 20 April 1965. A number of his poetry has won competitions and achieved accolades such as the Taraju Award, Kelautan Award and the Borobudur Award. His collection of poetry, Ikan Terbang Tak Berkawan was published in 2005.

Zen Hae

or Nur Zain Hae was born in Kembangan, West Jakarta, 12 April 1970. He graduated from IKIP Jakarta in the field of Indonesian Language and Literature in 1994. He writes poetry, short stories and literary reviews. A number of his poetry have been winning or nominated entries to poetry writing competitions in a number of cities in Indonesia. His first short story collection, Rumah Kawin was published in 2004.