12 Facts About Ajip Rosidi

Ajip Rosidi was an Indonesian poet and short story writer.

Ajip Rosidi attended the School of the People, Jatiwangi, in 1950; District VIII Junior High School Jakarta in 1953; and Taman Madya High School, Taman.

Ajip Rosidi began his literary career at the age of fourteen years.

Ajip Rosidi was paid between Rp 25 and Rp 125 per piece, a considerable amount of money then.

Ajip Rosidi subsequently dropped out of high school to focus on writing.

Ajip Rosidi's works have been translated into many foreign languages, published in anthologies or as a book, in Dutch, Chinese, English, Japanese.

Ajip Rosidi served as editor of numerous magazines, including Suluh Pelajar from 1953 to 1955, and Prosa in 1955.

In 1981, Ajip Rosidi served as Guest Lecturer of Indonesian language and literature at the Osaka University of Foreign Studies in Osaka, Japan, Professor Extraordinary at the Tenri Daigaku, Nara from 1983 to 1994, and Kyoto Sangyo Daigaku, Kyoto from 1983 to 1996.

On 31 January 2008 Ajip Rosidi released his autobiography, Hidup Tanpa Ijasah.

Ajip Rosidi worked to preserve Sundanese culture as well as other cultures of Indonesia, promoted the continued use of local languages and awarded the Rancage Literary Award to works in Sundanese; he provided two other awards for works in Javanese and Balinese.

Ajip Rosidi asserted that from about 200 ancient Sundanese manuscripts found so far, only about 23 scripts can be read.

Ajip Rosidi expressed reservations regarding what he viewed as the commercialization of culture, citing the existence of Indonesia's Ministry of Culture and Tourism as proof that culture is being sold.