Chairil Anwar

Who is Chairil Anwar?

Chairil Anwar was Indonesia's most influential modern poet and the leading figure of the '45 Generation' (Angkatan '45) that transformed Indonesian literature during the revolutionary era. Born in Medan, North Sumatra, he moved to Batavia (Jakarta) and immersed himself in reading and writing, producing intense, individualistic verse that broke sharply from the ornate conventions of earlier Malay poetry. His most famous poem, 'Aku' (Me), with its defiant line 'Aku ini binatang jalang' (I am a wild beast), became an anthem of individual freedom and vitality. Other celebrated works include 'Krawang-Bekasi,' honoring fallen fighters, and 'Derai-Derai Cemara.' Despite writing for only about seven years, he produced roughly seventy poems, prose, and translations that reshaped the language and spirit of Indonesian poetry. He died in Jakarta at just twenty-six. The date of his death, 28 April, is commemorated as National Literature Day in Indonesia.

Sources: Chairil Anwar, Deru Campur Debu (1949) · Burton Raffel, The Complete Poetry and Prose of Chairil Anwar (1970)