Jassin, H. B. (1917-2000), an Indonesian essay writer and literary critic, was called “the custodian of modern Indonesian literature.” He became best known for his vast collection of materials on Indonesian literature. They are in a public institute called the H. B. Jassin Centre for Documentation on Literature in Jakarta, Indonesia.
Hans Bague Jassin was born on July 31, 1917, in Gorontalo, in northern Sulawesi, Indonesia. After attending school in Balikpapan and Medan, he went back to Gorontalo. He worked as a volunteer in the office of the Dutch assistant resident (local governor). He later went to Jakarta and edited Malay books at the Balai Pustaka, a government literary institute. Beginning in 1953, Jassin taught in the faculty of literature at the University of Indonesia. There he encouraged young writers.
Jassin’s professional work included serving on the editorial boards of many literary journals in Indonesia. He also wrote many books and articles on Indonesian literature. In addition, he translated foreign works into Indonesian. These translations include the novel Max Havelaar, by the Dutch author Eduard Douwes Dekker, who wrote his book under the pen name Multatuli in 1860. The translation was published in 1972. Jassin died on March 11, 2000.
