Biographical Data
From "Perburuan 1950 and Keluarga Gerilya 1950," trans. and ed. Benedict Anderson, Indonesia 36 (October 1983), p.43.
Pramoedya Ananta Toer (Blora, February 6, 1925)
Eldest child of M. Toer, director-headmaster of the nationalist school, "Instituut Boedi Oetomo" (IBO) in Blora, a locally prominent figure in political and social affairs, who replaced Dr. Soetomo when the latter was transferred to Surabaya.
Pram took 10 years to complete the 7-year elementary school course at the IBO, graduating in 1939, and for the next year did not go to school at all because his father refused to grant his wish to go on to the MULO, and ordered him to return to repeat the last year of the elementary school course. By dint of diligently saving money along with his mother trading in rice, in 1940 he went to Surabaya to continue his schooling, graduated from the Radiovakschool [Radio Vocational School] at the end of 1941 taking 6 months for each of three classes, and directly thereafter was conscripted into the radiotelegraph section of the Stadswacht [City Civil Defense], which led him to flee home to Blora. For the first four months of the Japanese Occupation, together with his next younger sibling, he had to look after his family until his mother's death, whereupon they both left their family home and settled in Jakarta.
Pram went on to study up to class 2 of the Taman Dewasa, as well as working in the Japanese news agency "Domei." When he was about to enter class 3, the Japanese closed the school. His office paid for his training as a stenographer, and he joined the first training course at the Chuo Sangi-in (now the foreign ministry building), Jakarta. In 1945 he attended lectures at the Islamic University (now the immigration building).
Because "Domei" did not promote him, he fled to East Java, where he heard the Proclamation and returned to Jakarta after a brief visit to Blora. He joined a pemuda paramilitary organization, then entered an army unit of the Siliwangi Division's Regiment 6, which operated in East Jakarta. When the Republican government carried out its rationalization program, he voluntarily resigned, with the final rank of 2nd lieutenant, commanding a section (60 men). Returning to Jakarta he edited the journal "Sadar," the Indonesian edition of "The Voice of Free Indonesia," together with Naipospos.
From July 23, 1947 to December 18, 1949, he was imprisoned by the Dutch in various places. From May 1950 to the end of 1951 he was editor in the Modern Indonesian Literature department of the Balai Pustaka, and held the post of editor of the magazine Indonesia (before this was taken over by BMKN) and of the children's magazine Kunang-kunang [Firefly].
In 1958 he was appointed a member of Lekra's Plenum, following a decision at its First National Congress in Solo. In 1959 he was appointed member of the Executive of the Indonesian Peace Committee following a decision at its National Conference in Bandung. National Chairman of the Conference of Afro-Asian Writers, editor/advisor to the journal Orient, Prague. Assisted the Great Soviet Encyclopedia on Indonesian literature.
1962-1965, Editor of Lentera, the cultural supplement of the daily Bintang Timur; gave lectures to the Literature Faculty, Res Publika University, Jakarta; was one of the founders of the "Multatuli" Literature Academy, Jakarta; Teacher at the "Dr. Abdul Rivai" Academy for Journalism in Jakarta.
October 13, 1965-December 20, 1979: Arrested, imprisoned, and exiled in various places in Jakarta, Tangerang, Nusa Kambangan, Buru (August 1969-November 1979), Magelang, and Semarang.