Ayu Utami

Quick Facts

Full Name	Ayu Utami
Occupation	Journalist
Date Of Birth	Nov 21, 1968(1968-11-21)
Age	56
Birthplace	Bogor
Country	Indonesia
Birth City	West Java
Horoscope	Scorpio

Ayu Utami Biography

Ayu Utami is one of the most popular and richest Journalist who was born on November 21, 1968 in Bogor, West Java, Indonesia. Ayu Utami (born 21 November 1968) is an Indonesian writer from Indonesia. She has written short stories, novels and even articles. Saman (1998) was widely regarded as her greatest work. The book has been translated to English in the hands of Pamela Allen in 2005. Through writing about sex as well as politics, she dealt with subjects that were once forbidden by Indonesian women, a shift known as sastra wangi.

Utami’s debut novel, Saman, appeared in 1998, just several weeks before the death of Suharto and was instrumental in establishing the shifting political and cultural landscape of Indonesia. Saman was awarded the first Jakarta Arts Council prize in 1998 and created an uproar, and even controversy in the eyes of Indonesian intellectuals and artists. The novel was highly praised by numerous reviews and was seen as an important milestone for Indonesian literature. Saman won the Prince Claus Award. Saman has sold over 100,000 copies and was repeated 34 times. A sequel called Saman, Larung was published in 2001.

In March 2008, Utami published Pengadilan Susila (Susila’s Trial), based on the script of her theatre play Sidang Susila, co-authored by veteran playwright Agus Noor. According to The Jakarta Post, “Ayu considers her new book a weapon to fight against the morality movement and regulations that violate women’s rights.” The theatre piece and book grew out of Utami’s involvement in protests against a proposed anti-pornography bill being discussed by the Indonesian House of Representatives. In an article covering the play’s production by Yogyakarta’s noted theatre troupe Teater Gandrik, actor Butet Kartaredjasa said the play exposed the camouflaged moral truths that the Constitution tries to enforce: “Sidang Susila hints at the dark shadows of an authoritarian regime that acts under the name of morality.” A summary of the play goes like this:

Ayu Utami currently works for Radio 68H, an independent news radio station that is broadcast all over the country, and as a writer for the cultural journal Kalam and in Teater Utan Kayu in Jakarta. Her play and book protesting against anti-pornography legislation, Pengadilan Susila (Susila’s Trial), appeared in 2008.

Saman offers a critical analysis to Saman’s critique of the New Order, which was destroyed by the workers and students in 1998. After a long time under the restrictions by Suharto, Ayu Utami’s novel is an uncompromising revelation of facts that have never been revealed. Its open and uplifting approach to new freedoms for women, such as sexual liberties, were astonish advancements at the time they were introduced.

Ayu Utami Net Worth

Ayu Utami is one of the richest Journalist from Indonesia. According to our analysis, Wikipedia, Forbes & Business Insider, Ayu Utami 's net worth $5 Million. (Last Update: December 11, 2023)

The novel Saman, Ayu Utami weaves both the tales of Indonesian feminist awakening and opposition to neocolonial policies that ravaged villages and farmers during the Suharto period. The plot is complicated, moving backwards and forwards through the 1990s until the 1960s and 1980s as well as between a variety of narrative viewpoints.

Utami is a native of Bogor and was raised living in the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree at the University of Indonesia, where she was a student of Russian literature and language. While in college, she began writing reports and essays in the newspapers. She was chosen as a finalist for Wajah Femina, a beauty pageant in Indonesia. However, she chose not to attempt to become a model because she was not a fan of makeup and cosmetics. She was journalist in Indonesian magazines, such as Humor, Matra, Forum Keadilan and D&R. In the days following Suharto had banned three magazines from the year 1994 (Tempo, Editor, and Detik) during the New Order era, Ayu was a member of Aliansi Jurnalis Independen (Alliance of Independent Journalists) to protest against the ban. Her journalistic work continued in the underground, and was involved in the publication of an anonymous black book that dealt with corruption during The Suharto regime.

On 26 October 2005 Ayu Utami participated in a panel discussion on the topic “Why I Write What I Write” at the Iowa City Public Library, sponsored by the University of Iowa’s International Writing Program. Her opening sentence states: “The beginning period of my fiction writing was probably a sort of adolescent struggle to negate the father figure.” This figure, as the novels demonstrate, includes a variety of patriarchal social structures and institutions, literary conventions, and regimes such as that of former dictator Suharto.

Height, Weight & Body Measurements

Ayu Utami height Not available right now. Ayu weight Not Known & body measurements will update soon.

Who is Ayu Utami Dating?

According to our records, Ayu Utami married to Erik Prasetya. As of December 1, 2023, Ayu Utami’s is not dating anyone.

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Facts & Trivia

Ayu Ranked on the list of most popular Journalist. Also ranked in the elit list of famous people born in Indonesia. Ayu Utami celebrates birthday on November 21 of every year.