JAKARTA - In the midst of his busy work as Minister of Culture, Fadli Zon again showed another side that has long been attached to him, namely the poet.
At the age of 55, Fadli launched an anthology of poems entitled Mimpi-Mimpi yang Kupelihara, a collection of works written by him from adolescence to the beginning of college in the period 1983-1991.
The book is not just a collection of old poems that have been reprinted. In it lies the traces of the early formation of Fadli's outlook, anxiety, and inner world long before he was known as a national politician.
The anthology was published by Horison in collaboration with Fadli Zon Library. The English version was also launched with the title Dreams I Keep: A Collection of Poems, 1983-1991.
The poems in the book portray various themes, ranging from childhood memories, nature, the search for identity, intellectual anxiety, to social reflections that began to grow in his youth.
The momentum of the book's launch feels interesting because it is in the middle of a public debate about the direction of Indonesian culture and literacy. Fadli actually chose to return to poetry - a literary genre that today is increasingly rarely given a large space in the midst of a flood of fast-paced digital content.
"Poetry is an important literary medium because it is able to capture things that often escape everyday language," said Fadli Zon in a written statement, Wednesday, June 3.
According to Fadli, poetry is not only a space for creative expression, but also a way to record inner experiences, hopes, anxieties, and even social criticism in a more reflective and humane way.
Fadli said Mimpi-Mimpi yang Kupelihara recorded the phase of character formation and his views on life from childhood to the beginning of being a student.
Therefore, he hopes that the re-publication of the book can bring young generations closer to literature and the culture of writing.
As Minister of Culture, Fadli also highlighted the importance of strengthening the national literature ecosystem. According to him, support for writers, poets, literacy communities, publishers, and creative spaces needs to be expanded so that Indonesian literary works continue to grow.
"Through literature, we take care of the language, record the journey of time, and enrich the perspective of nationality," he said.
In the midst of a world increasingly noisy by algorithms and short content, the launch of this book of poems is like a reminder that not all ideas are born on the political stage. Some actually grow quietly from rows of poems that have been maintained for years.
The English, Chinese, Japanese, Arabic, and French versions are automatically generated by the AI. So there may still be inaccuracies in translating, please always see Indonesian as our main language. (system supported by DigitalSiber.id)
