Balai Pustaka Books

I really love reading old books; books published, especially by Balai Pustaka, way before I was born, even before my Dad was born (He was born in 1952). I love the language used in these books. It feels like being transported back to the time when the books were written.

 

My Dad was a teacher at a high school. When I was like 10 or something, he used to borrow books from his school library and brought them home. I was so excited every time he brought a new book and I would read them right away, probably before he did. It’s been ages since then, but I still remember these books, and I reread some of them recently. I fucking love them! I’ve just added some more to my Shopee cart and I can’t wait to get them in my hands!

Anyway, here are some of those books:

 

1. Azab dan Sengsara (Pain and Suffering) by Merari Siregar (1920)

Easily in my top 5 favorite books of all time! I mean, look at that title! The book delivers what the title promises! It tells a story about Mariamin, who was once a wealthy girl but became poor due to some family conflicts brought to the court. She was in a kind of relationship with Amiruddin, her second cousin (I know! I Know!). But Amiruddin’s father strongly disagreed and plotted to separate them, and he succeeded. Damn, I still remember crying my eyes out when I was reading the last letter Mariamin wrote for Amiruddin! Long story short, Amiruddin married a woman of his father’s choice and Mariamin married another man who took her to another city. This man, however, didn’t treat her well. She finally divorced him and went back to her hometown where she died alone.

 

2. Sitti Nurabaya: Kasih Tak Sampai (Sitti Nurbaya: Unrealized Love) by Marah Roesli (1922)

Probably the most famous on this list. If you're Indonesian and have watched Indonesian soap operas, chances are you’ve heard this line, “Arranged marriage? I’m not Sitti Nurbaya!”

Tbh, I feel sad that people assume this book is about an arranged marriage when it really isn’t! Please read the book, or at least the synopsis! This book is about a sacrifice a daughter made to save her father! Let’s highlight that! Let’s not make the father the bad guy here because he isn’t! In fact, he was reluctant to let his daughter marry Datuk Maringgih, an evil loan shark who was the puppetmaster behind the family’s misery! And more than that, this book discusses “heavy” issues like westernization and feminism. It’s not about arranged marriage, okay?

 

3. Salah Asuhan (Wrong Upbringing) by Abdul Muis (1928)

This book had quite an explicit kissing scene and I knew I was too young to read it haha.

The kiss was between our two main characters, Hanafi, an Indonesian man, and Corrie, a half Indonesian half French woman. Hanafi had feelings for her, but she rejected him because he was “an inlander” and she moved to another city. Frustrated, Hanafi then married his cousin, Rapiah (Yup, Ikr!) They had a son, but he was never in love with her and he was abusive.

One day he was bitten by a rabid dog and had to be treated in the city where Corie lived. They met and (I don’t remember how) they decided to get married. Now marrying someone he loved, you’d guess he would treat her well, right? Wrong! He was still abusive and it made  Corie run away to yet another city.

Hanafi realized his mistake and tried to win her back only to find out that she was dying and finally died. He went back to his hometown and decided to kill himself.

 

4. Sengsara Membawa Nikmat (Blessing in Disguise) by Tulis Sutan Hati (1929)

Not really a fan because it has a happy ending.

But here’s how it goes: A poor villager named Midun saved his cousin’s wife from drowning. Instead of thanking him, the cousin was mad that Midun “touched” his wife. He then hired an assassin to kill him, but the mission failed. Both Midun and the assassin were sent to prison where Midun earned the reputation of being a good fighter. Long story short, he met Halimah, a woman whose father was away on another island. Midun accompanied her to find him. There, he faced ordeal after ordeal. But as the title suggests, he found happiness in the end.

 

5. Tak Putus Dirundung Malang (Misfortune Without End) by Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana (1929)

One of the saddest books ever! I cried my eyes out reading this.

This is about siblings, Mansur and Laminah, whose parents died when they were still so young. They lived with their aunt. At first, the aunt’s husband took care of them like his own children. However, soon, he began tired of them and started torturing them, both verbally and physically. They then decided to move to the provincial capital city to start a new life. There, they started working at a bakery. Everything went well until one day a worker almost raped Laminah. They quit their job to avoid the guy. They then rented a small house; Mansur worked at a small shop while Laminah stayed at home. When they thought they’d be happy, another disaster happened. Mansur was accused of stealing money at the store. He was jailed. A worker at the bakery knew about this. He went to visit Laminah, pretending to be nice. Laminah welcomed him because he had been a good friend when they all worked at the bakery. Sadly, he was just the same as the other guy. He raped Laminah. Frustrated, Laminah jumped into the sea and died.

 

6. Mencari Pencuri Anak Perawan (Looking for a Maiden’s Kidnapper) by Soeman HS (1932)

This one is a bit different from the rest. The language used is different, and the way the story is told is different. It’s like a detective book, the twist at the end is supposed to make you gasp I guess.

It tells the story of a guy named Sir Djon who helped a married couple find their missing adopted daughter. We were led to accuse several people along the way, but I think it’s quite obvious from the start.

 

7. Dian yang Tak Kunjung Padam (The Undying Torch) by Sutan Takdir Alisyahbana (1932)

That was the first time I came across the word “dian: (as a word, not a name). I asked my Dad what it meant, and he replied, “Light, torch, it symbolizes love or hope”.

I reread this book last year, and to be honest, I found it less interesting than the first time I read it. Maybe because I’d been through several heartbreaks and it’s hard to believe such love did exist.

It follows the story of Yasin, a poor fatherless man who fell in love at the first sight with Molek, a noble rich woman, who fell in love with him at the first sight too (lol). They exchanged letters without really meeting each other. One day Yasin decided to meet Molek’s parents and ask for her hand. Her parents obviously rejected the proposal. They then married Molek to a rich businessman. Once, when Molek was home alone, Yasin visited her and asked her to run away with him. However, Molek refused, feeling she was already dirty because she already married someone else. After Yasin left her house, she decided to commit suicide.

 

8. Katak Hendak Jadi Lembu (I couldn't find the English title of this book, but this is an idiom in Indonesian that means dreaming something out of reach) by Nur Sutan Iskandar (1935)

Being a civil servant, I can somehow relate to this story, but thankfully not entirely. We know that civil servants, even with small salaries, are respected by the people in the country. We’re expected to have a decent life. Some even take a further step and live in luxury, refusing to admit that their salary isn’t enough to support their lavish lifestyle, including Suria, the main character of this book.

He was a civil servant in a city in West Java. His salary was small, but he acted as if he earned a lot. He was so self-centered, neglecting his family and only cared about himself. He dressed nicely, ate and drank better than the rest of his family members, went to parties to entertain himself, etc.

One day he finally realized he was running out of money. Instead of trying to work harder, he decided to retire early. He then took his family to live with his eldest son who had just been recently appointed a civil servant. But even there, he was still continuing his bad habits. Soon, his son grew tired of him. And when his wife died of a heart attack, his son asked him to leave the house. What happened to Suria then? Read this book to find out hehe

 

9. Layar Terkembang (With Sails Unfurled) by Nur Sutan Iskandar (1936)

An old book about feminism, modernity, and love. I read this when I was a kid, but didn’t understand it that much. I then reread it in 2020, and to be honest, still didn’t get it that much. This book is a bit hard to digest (or maybe I’m just too slow).

It has three main characters: two sisters named Tuti and Maria, and a guy named Yusuf. Tuti was a composed feminist who was part of a youth movement or something, meanwhile, Maria was almost the complete opposite of her. Maria was so cheerful and not interested in activism.

Through Tuti’s activies, we learned about feminism and modernization. It’s actually a bit surprising to me that people already talked about feminism even before we got our independence. I suggest you read this book if you're interested in this topic.

Anyway, Maria was in a relationship with Yusuf and everything went well at first. But then she fell ill for months and finally passed away. At her request, Yusuf and Tuti got together and it turned out they made a perfect couple. I was rooting for Maria as I could relate  a lot more to her. Poor Maria!

 

10. Tenggelamnya Kapal van der Wijck (The Sinking of the van der Wijck) by Hamka (1938)

Another tear-jerking book.

Being born to a Minang father and a non-Minang mother was such a tragedy, especially when you were an orphan. Neither side of the family would want you. That’s what Zainnudin experienced. He faced discrimination because of his background. He fell in love with a pure Minang from a noble family, Hayati. However, of course, her family disapproved. Hayati then married another noble pure Minang, named Aziz. In despair, Zainuddin moved to Java. There, he became a writer. As fate would have it, he met Hayati and Aziz who were homeless because Aziz had just been fired. He took them under his care. Aziz decided to run away leaving Hayati. He wrote a letter saying Zainuddin and Hayati should be together. However, Zainuddin was too proud to take her back just like that. Instead, he asked her to go back to her hometown. She boarded the van der Wijck which sank. She was saved and brought into a hospital. Zainuddin hurriedly went to the hospital. There they made up, but not long after, Hayati died in his arms.

 

Those are a few of the old books I enjoy reading. But you know what, it's actually a bit sad that I like old books because there are only those of them. The authors have passed away, they wouldn’t publish another book :(