Pasemon: On Allusion and Illusions

Abstract

Born in 1946 in the small town of Batang, Central Java, Goenawan Mohamad is one of the leading writers and intellectuals of Indonesia. An author in many genres, he is best known for his work in journalism. In 1971, during the dictatorship of President Suharto, Mohamad founded Tempo magazine and began printing criticism of the regime's corruption, abuse of human rights, and authoritarianism. In 1994, Tempo was officially banned; Mohamad continued to write extensively and eloquently about the power and importance offree speech, remaining a fearless government opponent. After Suharto's ouster, in 2003, Tempo resumedpublishing. Mohamad has received numerous awards for his work. He was the first recipient of the Professor A. Teeuw Awardfrom the Netherlands in 1992. In 1997, he was selected by the Nieman Fellows at Harvard University to receive the Louis Lyons Awardfor Conscience and Integrity in Journalism. In 1998, he was recognized as International Editor of the Year by the World Press Review and given the International Press Freedom Award by the Committee to Protect Journalists. In 2001, he was appointed a regents professor at the University of California at Los Angeles; and in 2006, he was awarded the Dan David Prizeforfightingforpressfreedom and the advancement of independentjournalism. In addition to his journalism, Mohamad has published several volumes of poetry, experimental drama, and prose. His first collection of poetry translated into English, Goenawan Mohamad: Selected Poems, was edited by Laksmi Pamuntjak and published by The Lontar Foundation in 2004. Thefollowingpaper was presented on the occasion of his acceptance of the Professor A. Teeuw Award in Leiden, the Netherlands, on May 1992. Itfirst appeared in English in 1993 in Menagerie 2, published in Jakarta.