Kwee Tek Hoay

• Born — 31 July 1886 • Birthplace — Bogor, West Java • Died — 4 July 1951 • Place of death — Cicurug, Sukabumi, West Java • Occupation — Writer • Language — Indonesian • Genre — Novels, Drama • Subject — Literature • Notable Works — Drama of Krakatoa, Dramatist Digoel • Spouse — Oeij Hiang Nio • Children — 3 Kwee

Kwee Tek Hoay, the youngest son of Tjiam Kwee Hong and Tan Ay Nio, often played truant during his early school years because he could not understand the language of instruction, Hokkien. He started learning the textile business from his father, and during this period began taking interest in reading books. Kwee began his writing career as a journalist. He served on the editorial board for magazines and newspapers, such as Ho Po Li Po (Bogor, and Sin Po (Batavia, Jakarta). He tutored his eldest daughter Njonja Tjoa Hin Hoei (born Kwee Yat Nio) into a career in journalism as well. In 1926, Kwee ventured into publishing his own magazine, called Panorama, a progressive and modern Indonesian language publication which gave space for new ideas and young women writers such as Siem Piet Nio. However, Kwee had a hard time sustaining the magazine financially and in 1931 sold it to the jurist, politician and newspaper proprietor Phoa Liong Gie. His most famous paper on the history and background of the founding association Tiong Hoa Hwee Koan, The Origins of the Modern Chinese Movement in Indonesia, came out in series from August 1936 to January 1939. Kwee was also as a novelist and playwright. His first story in drama form that received acclaim was Allah jang Palsoe (Counterfeit God. Published in 1919, it condemns individuals driven by money. Another of his works, Boenga Roos dari Tjikembang (The Rose of Tjikembang), was inspired by William Shakespeare's A Midsummer Night's Dream. Kwee adapted the story to reflect Indonesian circumstances, but also used the book to open discussion on the issue of the nyai, a concubine often kept by young unmarried men. The novel has been adapted for a play and twice for a screenplay, in 1931 and 1975. A recent staging of the play drew many people to see it for the sake of nostalgia. His drama The Victim Yi Yong Toan was staged in 1928. It was a criticism of the removal of young men to China to fight the Japanese army. Most of his works were inspired by real-life incidents and political issues. The drama Digoel was based on the life of a Communist Party leader and his daughter. Another of his works, titled Drama in Boven Digul, was based on the events of the PKI rebellion against the Dutch government and the exile of communists to the Boven-Digoel concentration camp. During the 1920s, Kwee became actively engaged in the Tri Dharma. He ensured that the Buddhist temple in Jakarta also served as an institution for lessons on Buddhism. He is credited with the publication of the first Indonesian-language magazine on the teachings of Buddhism, Dharma Moestika (1932–1934).