Wisran Hadi

Wisran Hadi (born 27 June 1945, Padang, West Sumatra – died 28 June 2011, Padang) was an Indonesian playwright and novelist. He won the Southeast Asian Writers Award in 2000.

Life and education

Wisran was born in Lapai, Padang on 27 July 1945, the third of thirteen children. His father, H. Darwas Idris, was the Grand Imam of the Muhammadiyah Mosque in Padang and an expert in Indonesian interpretation of Islamic art. Wisran attended school in Padang, then completed religious teacher training there. He then studied at the Indonesian Fine Arts Academy (ASRI) in Yogyakarta, graduating in 1969.

His interest in writing developed after he returned to Padang in 1973. He was playwright/director of the Padang group Teater Bumi, which represented Indonesia in the 1990 Festival of Indonesia in the USA. His plays often employ dance and song to evoke the world of legend and spoken dialogue to voice the contemporary world.