 | |
| Author | Abdul Muis |
|---|---|
| Country | Indonesia |
| Language | Indonesian |
| Genre | Novel |
| Publisher | Balai Pustaka |
Publication date | 1928 |
| Media type | Print (Hardback & Paperback) |
| Pages | 273 (39th printing) |
| ISBN | 979-407-064-5 (39th printing) |
| Preceded by | None |
| Followed by | Pertemuan Jodoh |
Salah Asuhan (Indonesian: Wrong Upbringing) is an Indonesian novel by Abdul Muis originally published in 1928 by Balai Pustaka. It is widely considered one of the best examples of early modern Indonesian literature.
Salah Asuhan was written during the colonial period and published by Balai Pustaka, which published books "suitable for native Indonesian reading." In order to be published, books had to avoid themes of rebellion and use formal Malay. [1] As such, Salah Asuhan had to be rewritten with the European characters shown in a positive light after Balai Pustaka refused to publish it. [2]
The story revolves around the Minangkabau Hanafi and his friend, the half-French half-Minangkabau Corrie du Bussée. Although Hanafi is Minangkabau and a Muslim, he considers European culture to be superior and has many European friends. After graduating from high school in Solok, Hanafi admits his love to Corrie and kisses her. However, Corrie feels ashamed afterwards and eventually flees to Batavia (Jakarta), leaving a letter for Hanafi saying that they can never be together because he is pribumi. Hanafi is then married to his cousin Rapiah, much to his discontent. He begins taking out his anger on his family, especially Rapiah.
After a few years, Hanafi's European friends have left him because of his treatment of his family, including his and Rapiah's baby son. His temperament becomes worse as a result. One day, he is bitten by a rabid dog. He is sent for treatment in Batavia.
Upon arrival in Batavia, Hanafi meets Corrie again and they fall in love. They eventually marry and move in together. Hanafi finds employment with the Dutch colonial government, receives the same legal status as a European, and adopts the Christian name Chrisye. He does not think of his family in Solok, even though they are worried about him.
Although their married life starts well, eventually Hanafi becomes abusive towards Corrie. Upon hearing that Corrie has befriended a disreputable woman and occasionally meets other men without him knowing, Hanafi loses his temper, accuses Corrie of infidelity and hits her. Corrie runs away from home and eventually starts working at an orphanage in Semarang.
Hanafi's coworkers in Batavia ostracise him after hearing of his treatment of Corrie. After one tells him that he is seen to be acting poorly, Hanafi realizes that he was wrong and goes to Semarang to apologize to Corrie. However, upon arrival he finds her dying of cholera. Corrie forgives him, and dies. Hanafi then collapses from the stress.
After being treated, Hanafi returns to his village to be with his family. Not long after his arrival, he commits suicide by drinking poison and apologizes to his family on his deathbed, embracing his Minangkabau and Muslim heritage. Rapiah states that she will not raise their son to be like the Europeans.
Salah Asuhan is generally seen as a warning against excessive Westernization. The failure of the marriage between Hanafi and Corrie is presented as being caused by Hanafi's refusal to follow Minangkabau traditions and aspiring to be more than a pribumi. [2] Hanafi's admiration for European culture and lack of understanding of his own causes him to berate and demean his family, while his inability to live up to those ideals ultimately causes his relationship with Corrie to dissolve. [2]
Salah Asuhan is generally considered one of the most important works in modern Indonesian Literature and is commonly used as reading material in Indonesian literature classes. [2]
Bakri Siregar wrote positively of Salah Asuhan, considering the diction unparalleled in its contemporaries and the characters well fleshed-out. [3]
A. Teeuw considered Salah Asuhan one of the three most important pre-war novels. He wrote that the unprecedented frank depiction of racism and social ostracism was tempered by the simple writing style to the point that it could be enjoyed not only as a piece of literature, but also as a love story. [4]
Salah Asuhan was made into a film of the same name in 1972 by Asrul Sani. [2]
Abdul Muis, was an Indonesian writer, journalist and nationalist. He advocated for Indonesia's independence from the Netherlands. He was the first person to be named a national hero by President Sukarno.
Balai Pustaka is the state-owned publisher of Indonesia and publisher of major pieces of Indonesian literature such as Salah Asuhan, Sitti Nurbaya and Layar Terkembang. Its head office is in Jakarta.
Pertemuan Jodoh is an Indonesian novel by Abdul Muis originally published in 1932. It tells the story of two students who are driven apart by their class differences, but eventually marry.
Sitti Nurbaya: Kasih Tak Sampai is an Indonesian novel by Marah Rusli. It was published by Balai Pustaka, the state-owned publisher and literary bureau of the Dutch East Indies, in 1922. The author was influenced by the cultures of the west Sumatran Minangkabau and the Dutch colonials, who had controlled Indonesia in various forms since the 17th century. Another influence may have been a negative experience within the author's family; after he had chosen a Sundanese woman to be his wife, Rusli's family brought him back to Padang and forced him to marry a Minangkabau woman chosen for him.
Sengsara Membawa Nikmat is an Indonesian novel written by Tulis Sutan Sati. It was published in 1929 by Balai Pustaka. It tells the story of Midun, the son of a farmer, who experiences many trials before finally living happily with his new wife. It has been noted as one of Sati's most interesting works.
Layar Terkembang is an Indonesian novel by Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana. Published in 1936 or 1937 by Balai Pustaka, it tells the story of two sisters and their relationship with a medical student. It has been noted as emphasizing the need for Indonesians to adopt Western values in order to modernize the country.
Belenggoe is a novel by Indonesian author Armijn Pane. The novel follows the love triangle between a doctor, his wife, and his childhood friend, which eventually causes each of the three characters to lose the ones they love. Originally published by the literary magazine Poedjangga Baroe in three instalments from April to June 1940, it was the magazine's only published novel. It was also the first Indonesian psychological novel.
Poedjangga Baroe was an Indonesian avant-garde literary magazine published from July 1933 to February 1942. It was founded by Armijn Pane, Amir Hamzah, and Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana.
Sanusi Pane was an Indonesian writer, journalist, and historian. He was highly active in literary media, sitting on the editorial boards of several publications. He has also been described as the most important dramatist from before the Indonesian National Revolution.
Bakri Siregar was an Indonesian socialist literary critic and writer.
Darah Muda is a 1927 novel written by Indonesian writer Djamaluddin Adinegoro and published by Balai Pustaka. It is one of few Indonesian novels from the period in which the protagonists succeed in love.
Marco Kartodikromo, also known by his pen name Mas Marco, was an Indonesian journalist and writer.
Dian jang Ta' Koendjoeng Padam is a 1932 novel by Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana. It was published by Balai Pustaka.
Asmara Djaja is a 1928 novel written by Indonesian writer Djamaluddin Adinegoro and published by Balai Pustaka. It is one of few Indonesian novels from the period in which the protagonists succeed in love.
Di Bawah Lindungan Ka'bah is the 1938 debut novel of the Indonesian author Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah (1908–1981). Written while the author worked in Medan as the editor of an Islamic weekly magazine, the novel follows the doomed romance of a young Minang couple from different social backgrounds. Generally praised for its simple yet eloquent diction, the novel has been twice adapted into film, first in 1977 and then in 2011.
Tenggelamnja Kapal van der Wijck is an Indonesian serial and later novel by Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah published in 1938. It follows the failed love between Zainuddin, a mixed-race man, and Hayati, a pure Minang woman.
Salah Asuhan is a 1972 film directed by Asrul Sani, produced by Andy Azhar, and starring Dicky Zulkarnaen, Ruth Pelupessy, and Rima Melati. Adapted from Abdoel Moeis' 1928 novel of the same name, it tells of a man who betrays his upbringing for the metropolitan life, while at the same time marrying an Indo woman instead of the one chosen by his mother.
Tuan Direktur is a 1939 novel by the Indonesian Muslim cleric and writer Haji Abdul Malik Karim Amrullah (Hamka). Originally published as a serial in Hamka's newspaper Pedoman Masjarakat, it follows a man from Banjarmasin who goes to Surabaya, becomes rich, but ultimately is driven to insanity. The novel has been seen as a critique of materialism, arrogance, and superstition.
Zuber Usman was an Indonesian teacher and writer, known as an early pioneer of Indonesian literary criticism. Born in Padang, West Sumatra, he was educated in Islamic schools until 1937, after which he became a teacher. Dabbling in writing short stories during the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies and the ensuing revolution, for the rest of his life Usman focused on teaching and writing about literature.
Sariamin Ismail was the first female Indonesian novelist to be published in the Dutch East Indies. A teacher by trade, by the 1930s she had begun writing in newspapers; she published her first novel, Kalau Tak Untung, in 1933. She published two novels and several poetry anthologies afterwards, while continuing to teach and – between 1947 and 1949 – serving as a member of the regional representative body in Riau. Her literary works often dealt with star-crossed lovers and the role of fate, while her editorials were staunchly anti-polygamy. She was one of only a handful of Indonesian women authors to be published at all during the colonial period, alongside Fatimah Hasan Delais, Saadah Alim, Soewarsih Djojopoespito and a few others.
Sources