Kuslan Budiman

Kuslan Budiman (6 April 1935 – 6 December 2018) was an Indonesian poet, fiction writer and artist. After his graduation from art school in Yogyakarta, he went to China to study Mandarin and Chinese dramatic traditions. In 1971, Kuslan moved to Moscow to study Russian. He died on 6 December 2018 aged 83 from pancreatic cancer.

In 1961, in Yogyakarta, Kuslan and Amrus Natalsya, Misbach Tamrin, Ng Sembiring, Isa Hasanda, Hardjija Pudjanadi, Harmani, Haryanto, etc. founded Sanggar Bumi Tarung: SBT (Battleground Studio), a visual art collective.

After Suharto's rise to power in 1965, as a result of his New Order regime's effort to purge communism, members of SBT became a clear target and were eventually arrested, imprisoned without trial, killed, disappeared, or in the case of Kuslan, his original brief stay in China for study became unintended exile.

Kuslan's published writings can be found in Indonesian's exile journals. However, with the help of the internet, Kuslan's work has since been disseminated digitally as well.

Publications Poetry Rindu Bunganya Cinta: Empat Kumpulan Sajak, 1977. Senja di kota tua: tiga kumpulan sajak, 1978. Komune: sebuah sketsa, 1978. Bekas tanpa akhir. Moscow, 1986 (rotaprint edition) Kabar sakaparan: kumpulan geguritan, 1991 (in Javanese). Tanah kelahiran: kumpulan sajak. Amsterdam: Stichting Budaya, 1994 (Kreasi No.20) (first rotaprint edition, Moscow, 1986). Stories From Exile, Menagerie 6: Indonesian in Exile, Jakarta: Lontar Foundation, 2004 Di Negeri Orang: Puisi Penyair Indonesia Eksil, Jakarta: Lontar Foundation, Amanah, 2002

Fiction Bendera Itu Masih Berkibar, Jakarta: Suara Bebas, 2005 Si Didi anak petani, Djakarta: Jajasan Kebudajaan Sadar, 1964