Peacock is famous for its beauty and charm. Now that the peacock has left us. But who is the peacock here? The Peacock is a nickname given to Rendra, the best contemporary Indonesian poet and playwright. He passed away peacefully in July 2009 in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Rendra was born in Solo or Surakarta, central Java, Indonesia on November 7, 1935 in a Catholic family. His full name was Wilibrordus Surendra Broto or WS Rendra for short. When he was converted to Islam he changed his name into Wahyu Sulaiman Rendra.

He spent his youth in his hometown Solo. After graduating from high school, he continued his study in GadjahMadaUniversity in a neighboring city of Yogyakarta. His major was English literature. Then he got a scholarship to study in the AmericanAcademy of Dramatic Arts, New York in 1967.

Upon returning from the US he became more creative. He wrote poems, play, essays, and also novel.

Rendra was known for his literary works. He was a poet, a drama player and a writer. He started his career as a drama player and a poet in the 1950’s. He wrote essay and short story for Indonesian magazines such as Mimbar Indonesia, Siasat, Kisah, and Budaya Jaya. After that he wrote play.

He established Bengkel Teater in Yogyakarta. It is a modern theater club, a trendsetter in Indonesia. Many of its members became prominent playwright like Putu Wijaya, who is also a well known writer in Indonesia.

His first wife is Sunarti. Then some years later he married Sitoresmi, a member of the Yogyakarta royal family. But his marriage with Sitoresmi did not last long.

In 1979 he wrote a novel and a play. Its title is Panembahan Reso. It is the name of a despotic ruler. He wrote a description of a cruel dictator who established his palace over a lake of blood. People believe that he wrote a metaphor about the current political situation in Indonesia. That’s why he had problems with the government. Once he was arrested for protesting the government.

Rendra often read his poem or perform his play in Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta, a place to show art performances. He was so charming and charismatic that his shows always attracted many people. They were amazed by his performances when he read his poem or performed his play.

In 1990 he moved to Depok, west Java with his third wife Ken Zuraida. At his last days he still looked young and he still performed his play and poems in many places in Indonesia. The public was surprised to hear the news on July 6 that Rendra passed away peacefully in a hospital in Jakarta at the age of seventy four.

His works include:

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Sekda

Perjuangan Suku Naga (The Struggle of Naga tribe)

Balada orang orang tercinta (Ballads of loved ones)

Blues untuk Bonnie (Blues for Bonnie)

Potret Pembangunan dalam Puisi (Portrait of Development in poem)

Pamphleten van een Dichter

State of Emergency

Bip-bop

Oedipus Rex (A Greek story)

Khasidah Barzanji (Islamic songs)

Perang Troya tidak Akan meletus (War of Troy won’t break)

For his outstanding contribution to Indonesian literary world he got many prizes such as:

Poem award from Society of National Culture (1957)

Art award from department of education and culture (1969)

Art award from The Jakarta Academy (1975)

Adam Malik Award (1989)

The SEA Write award (1996)