The Fragrance of the Sea and the Soul of the Ocean: Indonesian Maritime Literature in the Making

As the biggest archipelago in the world, Indonesia is surrounded by water. Accordingly, maritime life in Indonesia is everyday life. The famous children's song "My Ancestors Were Sailors", proves that maritime culture is a big part of Indonesian life. The sea as a connector rather than as a separator changes how the sea is perceived: not only as a place but also as a space. Sea as space comes into being in Indonesian cultural life as well. The poem "Laut" (sea) by Zamawi Imron, written in 1977, warned us that maritime life was still much neglected. Almost five decades later, the sea has now become prima donna. The maritime literature was repositioned with the publication of Sastra Maritime (maritime literature) in 2022. This paper examines how sea is perceived, presented and expressed in Indonesian literature from then to now. Loving or hating the sea through literature has made an essential theme in the works of Hamka, Pramoedya Ananta Toer and the newest generation of writers such as Triyanto Triwikromo, Malwan Belgia, etc. The sea and the ocean have moved from the periphery to the centre in the writings of Indonesian authors. The sea is also a space of struggle as sea or water, unlike land, is not restricted by mere geographical lines. The sea, or ocean, is vast, unlimited and unconquerable. In the hands of writers such as Hamka, Toer, Triwikromo, Belgia and others, the sea becomes alive, having a life of its own.