| Abstrakt: |
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (1925-2006) alias Pram was the most famous novelist as well as the best known political prisoner in Indonesia. His work, which is translated in several European languages, begins in a Dutch prison, at the end of the Independence war. The Mute's Soliloquy gives a pathetic account of his ten years' deportation in the island of Buru (in the Moluccas) between 1969 and 1979, during the regime of general Soeharto. This autobiographical book includes personal memories and philosophical reflections upon human civilization. The topic of memory is linked with those of recognition and acknowledgment. Pram tells us his life story and his carrier. He recalls his difficulties to write in the camp. As a writer, he acts as an archivist who records the details of the prisoners' lives. He tries to give voice to victims. He strives to keep their names in memory. His book fights an official history which forgets the oppressed people, particularly the women. Remember them allows him to combine individual and collective memory. Pram claims to make the prisoner's rights to be acknowledged. He expresses his gratitude to the persons who helped them to save their personal identities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
