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| Yayasan Lontar | |
|---|---|
| Name | Yayasan Lontar |
| Native name | Lontar Foundation |
| Founded | 1987 |
| Founder | Goenawan Mohammad; John H. McGlynn |
| Headquarters | Jakarta, Indonesia |
| Focus | Literary translation; Indonesian literature; cultural preservation |
Yayasan Lontar is an Indonesian literary foundation established in 1987 dedicated to promoting Indonesian literature through translation, publication, and cultural exchange. It works at the intersection of Indonesian letters and international readerships, engaging with authors, translators, and cultural institutions across Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Americas. The foundation collaborates with literary figures, publishing houses, and universities to increase visibility for Indonesian prose, poetry, and drama.
The foundation was initiated by a group of Indonesian and international intellectuals including Goenawan Mohammad and John H. McGlynn, emerging amid cultural debates involving Jakarta and Yogyakarta literary circles, the legacy of Pramoedya Ananta Toer, the influence of Chairil Anwar, and the post-Suharto reformasi period. Early activities connected with institutions such as Columbia University, Cornell University, and Australian National University through exchange programs and archival projects. Throughout the 1990s and 2000s, the foundation navigated relationships with publishers like Penguin Books, University of Hawaiʻi Press, Oxford University Press, and cultural organisations including British Council, Goethe-Institut, and Asia Society. The timeline intersects with events like the fall of New Order (Indonesia) and the expansion of ASEAN cultural cooperation.
The foundation's mission emphasizes translation, preservation, and dissemination of Indonesian literary heritage, aligning with activities in collaboration with Modern Library, Harvard University, Yale University Press, and regional partners such as Southeast Asian Studies (SEAS). Core activities include commissioning translations, producing bilingual editions, organizing workshops with institutions like SOAS University of London, curating archives linked to figures like Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana and HB Jassin, and fostering networks among translators from Indonesia, Singapore, Malaysia, Netherlands, and United States. Public programs often intersect with festivals and venues including the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival, Frankfurt Book Fair, and Brooklyn Book Festival.
The foundation has supported translations of canonical and contemporary Indonesian works by authors such as Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Sitor Situmorang, Marah Rusli, Ajip Rosidi, and Ayu Utami, partnering with translators and editors associated with John H. McGlynn, Max Lane, Harry Aveling, Laurie Thompson, and Michael Vatikiotis. Publications appear in series with presses like Penguin Classics, Columbia University Press, and KU Leuven Press, and in anthologies circulated through venues including The New Yorker, Granta, and The Paris Review. Translation workshops have involved participants from Universitas Indonesia, Universitas Gadjah Mada, Leiden University, Monash University, and National University of Singapore.
Programmatic work includes mentorship schemes aligned with organizations such as International Writing Program and initiatives modeled on projects like The Man Booker Prize outreach and Asia Literary Review collaborations. Specific projects have encompassed bilingual series, oral history documentation related to figures like Raden Adjeng Kartini and Hamka, and digitization efforts akin to those by The British Library and Library of Congress. The foundation has run residency programs linked to venues like Yaddo and MacDowell, and coordinated translators' networks comparable to PEN International and Literature Across Frontiers.
Funding and partnerships have involved cultural agencies and foundations including Ford Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, Asia Foundation, NED (National Endowment for Democracy), Culture Ireland, Australia Council for the Arts, Japan Foundation, KfW Stiftung, and corporate supporters similar to collaborations with Jakarta Globe and private donors connected to families involved in Kompas and Tempo (magazine). Institutional partners extend to academic presses and departments at Harvard University, University of California, Berkeley, Leiden University, SOAS University of London, and national cultural bodies such as Perpustakaan Nasional Republik Indonesia and Dewan Kesenian Jakarta.
The foundation's impact is reflected in increased international recognition of Indonesian writers at events like the Frankfurt Book Fair and awards circuits including Man Asian Literary Prize and Southeast Asian Writers Award (SEA Write Award), and in citations by scholars in journals associated with Modern Language Association, Journal of Southeast Asian Studies, and Indonesia (Cornell University Press). Its archive and translated corpus have been referenced by cultural historians of Southeast Asia, comparative literature scholars at Columbia University, and translators participating in panels with representatives from British Council and Goethe-Institut. Recognition includes invitations to programs hosted by Library of Congress and accolades from regional organizations akin to ASEAN Committee on Culture and Information.
Category:Literary organizations based in Indonesia