YOGYAKARTA – Umar Kayam is one of cultural figures and is known as a writer who is able to consistently stay committed to observing the life of the grassroots. Almost every work of his novels raises the events surrounding the life of these people, which is full of excitement in his eyes.
A culturalist, Prof. Dr. Soebakdi Soemanto, S.U., said that the novel Para Priyayi first published in 1992 is a lively portrait of the lower-middle class in three decades. The novel for Indonesian standard is among the bestselling novel and mostly discussed not only by literary scholars, but also experts in social sciences such as Daniel Dhakidae, Ignas Kleden, Kuntowijoyo, Margono Atmolemaha," Bakdi Soemanto said in a discussion of Great Thinkers: Umar Kayam, ‘Para Priyayi’ and Enjoyment, at Graduate School of Universitas Gadjah Mada, on Tuesday (24/5).
By reading the entire novel, Indonesia’s condition during the Dutch colonial period, Japanese and Republican period can be seen. Political issues that devastated the community are also described, for example Communist (PKI) coup d’état and the Movement of September 30.
Depicting this novel, Bakdi tells that the ‘riyayi (aristocrats)’ are not blue-blooded aristocrats, but the lower classes who proceed to move vertically and become the elites. In the Dutch colonial times, they were called ambtenaar. In the early Republican era up to now, the ambtenaar were civil servants. "The novel is interesting and important. It is interesting because the content is complete, funny, sad, tragic, absurd, and has love story, colonial cruelty and much more. Social change that becomes the spirit of the plotting of this novel is able to change the mindset of the people," the professor of Faculty of Cultural Sciences said.
Literary observer from Yogyakarta State University (UNY), Dr. S. Bayu Wahyono, said that Umar Kayam’s novel style of disclosure is very distinctive, unique, witty, bringing the reader into the all-round world of mesam-mesem (smiling). "All social problems even the serious ones are brought by him into the public discourse lightly and humorously. The diction and Javanese idioms that fit to describe the socio-political situation are his strength that up to now no one can imitate," Bayu said.
Bayu said that Umar Kayam in his literary works always raises the theme related to priyayi – abangan (Javanese Muslims who also adhere to pre-Muslim beliefs). The thought of the abangan becomes the source for social and cultural reflection. "The life of the grassroot people is always a source of inspiration to criticise, yell at, and at the same time to help the noblemen grow up," he said.