Background At the beginning of the twentieth century, the different ethnic groups of the
Dutch East Indies – modern day Indonesia – began to feel a
sense of national unity, as eventually formulated in the 1928
Youth Pledge. These
native groups founded political parties to further their goals and represent their political ideologies, including the
Indonesian Communist Party and
Indonesian National Party. This sense of unity was represented in new media. Dutch-language magazines for educated native youth, such as the
Jong Java (1915) and
Jong Sumatranen Bond (1917), advocated a modern national identity without the traditional
feudal system. Nationalist views were advocated through magazines for adults, including
Pandji Poestaka (first published 1930) and
Timboel (first published 1932); these were short-lived publications and only included literature as a supplement. There were also unsuccessful attempts to found
Malay-language literary publications, such as
Malaya (announced in 1921).
Founding Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, editor of "Memadjoekan Sastera" ("Advancing Literature", the literary section of
Pandji Poestaka) since its creation in March 1932, met
Armijn Pane when the latter began submitting poems. A vocal activist for literary renewal, in a September 1932 letter Alisjahbana called for new literary critics () and asked Armijn to invite poet
Amir Hamzah to help them form a group. After a long period of exchanging letters, they decided to publish a magazine together. The magazine, later given the name
Poedjangga Baroe, was meant to advocate modernity and nationalism through literature, which had never been done in the Indies. The founders, all originating from
Sumatra, also noted a lack of interaction between the increasing number of poets and writers. To avoid the creative limitations of the
Dutch East Indies' state-owned publisher
Balai Pustaka, they agreed that the magazine should be independent. To gain support for
Poedjangga Baroe, in October 1932 Hamzah was tasked with writing letters to solicit submissions; a total of fifty letters were sent to noted writers, including forty sent to contributors to "Memadjoekan Sastera". In January 1933, Armijn went to meet Alisjahbana and Hamzah in
Batavia (modern day Jakarta). The three discussed Armijn's proposed budget and stated goal of promoting a national language. After the meeting, Armijn sent follow-up letters to the previously contacted writers and reached an agreement with Dutch publishing house Kolff & Co. In February 1933, the group issued a
prospectus that contained publication data and guaranteed that the magazine would have no fewer than sixty-four pages per issue. Other writers, including Armijn's elder brother
Sanusi Pane and poet
Muhammad Yamin, were called to serve on the editorial board. Worried that there would not be enough subscribers to support the magazine and hoping to ensure a good reception from traditional groups, the founders sent letters to leaders of ten sultanates in the archipelago asking that they subscribe to the magazine; however, only Syarif Muhammad Alkadrie, the
sultan of Pontianak, agreed to subscribe.
Publication In the prospectus,
Poedjangga Baroe founders stated their intention to publish in May 1933. However, the initial publication was later delayed until July for two reasons. Firstly, Armijn intended to move to Batavia to help with the magazine and needed time to do so. Secondly, a conflict arose between the founders and Kolff & Co. about printing costs, eventually leading the founders to opt for self-publication. This first edition included a foreword by educators
Ki Hadjar Dewantara and
Hoessein Djajadiningrat, eleven poems from solicited writers, and two essays, one by Armijn and one by Alisjahbana. The magazine continued to be primarily written in
Indonesian; indeed, the magazine was the first written mainly in Indonesian and with exclusively Indonesian editors. The nascent magazine, under the editorial control of Armijn and Alisjahbana, was initially poorly received by political parties and actors; they considered the magazine, which was generally non-political, liable to weaken the nationalist movement by diverting it into less important areas. To guarantee better support, people who were not writers or literary critics were accepted onto the editorial board. The first, Sumadang, was accepted in 1935. Other politicians involved during the end of the 1930s included
Amir Sjarifuddin, Mohamad Sjah, and Sugiarti. During this period the magazine began to have a wider scope.
Closure Poedjangga Baroe was closed with the fall of the Dutch East Indies government after the
Japanese invaded the Indies in February 1942; the last issue published covered the period of December 1941 to February 1942. The editors wrote in that issue that they intended to continue publication as long as feasible; this did not happen, although later writers used a similar style. Until its closing, the original run of
Poedjangga Baroe published about ninety issues. After the Japanese surrender and towards the end of the
Indonesian National Revolution, a second series was published under the same title by Alisjabahna with new contributors, including
Chairil Anwar,
Achdiat Karta Mihardja, and
Asrul Sani. The first edition of this new series, dated March 1948 but released in May, included a heated condemnation of the Indonesian leadership for perceived unwillingness to deal with the suffering which occurred during the occupation. This new publication, which Jassin described as unoriginal, ceased in 1954. It was later replaced by
Konfrontasi, led by Alisjahbana, which published bi-monthly from 1954 until 1962.
Poedjangga Baroe paid subscribers were always fewer than 150. According to historian Heather Sutherland, this low circulation was rooted in several cultural factors. Firstly, the native populace at the time had limited literacy and education. Secondly, native intellectuals mainly spoke
Dutch during formal discourse, while others kept to local languages; this led to comprehension issues for the Indonesian-language
Poedjangga Baroe. Throughout its publication,
Poedjangga Baroe had more than 125 employees or contributors. Most were of Sumatran origin, with a high school or greater education in Westernized schools, and a good command of Dutch. They were modernists, and most were around the age of twenty five when they first contributed. According to Armijn, they were united by a view of life and not a shared literary style. == Contents ==