Tan Boen Soan was an ethnic ChineseMalay-language writer and journalist from Sukabumi, Java. He was the author of works such as Koetoekannja Boenga Srigading, Bergerak, Digdaja and Tjoban. He later wrote for the Sunday Courier of Jakarta.
Biography
Tan was born in Sukabumi, West Java, on 25 June 1905. He began his education in a Hollandsche Chineesche School, a school for ethnic Chinese children run by the colonial government of the Dutch East Indies, there. Aside from his studies, he also active in the student organisation Chung Hsioh. He later attended the Koningin Wilhelminaschool in Batavia. Afterwards he spent some time working for the rail line Staats Spoorwagen in the city, before returning to Sukabumi and writing articles for the Chinese-owned dailies Sin Po and Perniagaan. In 1920 Tan became a member of the editorial board for the Bandung-based Sin Bin; he stayed with the newspaper until it closed, migrating to Keng Po. In 1928 he produced an adaptation of Tjoe Hong Bok's novel Setangan Berloemoer Darah, a story in which a son attempts to avenge his father's murder. This silent film in black-and-white was the second adaptation of a novel in the Indies. Through the 1930s, Tan headed a variety of publications, including Warna Warta, the Sukabumi-based biweeklyAsia, and the Semarang-based Soeara Semarang. During this decade he published several novels in the literary magazinesTjerita Roman and Penghidoepan, including works such as Koetoekannja Boenga Srigading, Bergerak, Digdaja, Kembang Latar, and Tjoban. Tan's 1935 novel Oewang criticised the tendency for ethnic Chinese in the Indies to value money too greatly. Another of his novels, Bwee Ha, warned of the risks of rejecting tradition and the "natural order". However, he also saw the dangers of blindly adhering to tradition, and his Lelatoe Anaknja Api urged that divorced or widowed women be allowed to remarry – something forbidden at the time. Chinese nationalist themes, likely included as a protest against the 1933 Japanese occupation of Jehol, can be seen in his silat novel Pendekar Merah. Tan's 1935 novel Bergerak focused on the role of women in social movements; this novel was republished in 2002 as in the sixth volume of the anthology seriesKesastraan Melayu Tionghoa dan Kebangsaan Indonesia. Sukarno proclaimed Indonesian independence in 1945, and this was recognised by the Dutch in 1949. During this time frame Tan headed Sin Min in Semarang. He also contributed writings to the Jakarta-based Sedar and the Sunday Courier. In 1951 Tan was accused of being a member of "Barisan Tjitaroem", considered a subversive group by the Indonesian government. He was imprisoned and tortured before being released. Tan died not long afterwards, on 12 August 1952.
