Noto Soeroto

Raden Mas Noto Soeroto (1888–1951) was a Javanese prince from the Jogjakarta noble house of Paku Alaman and was a poet and writer of Dutch Indies literature and journalist from the Dutch East Indies (now: Indonesia). He significantly contributed to the Dutch literary system by exploring new literary themes and focusing on indigenous protagonists, at the same time drawing attention to indigenous culture and the indigenous plight.

Life

Noto Soeroto came to the Netherlands to study law in Leiden in 1910. During his stay in the Netherlands, his many publications included contributions to important literary reviews such as the avant-garde Het Getij, De Gemeenschap, Links Richten, and Forum. His poems were published in many volumes and translated into many languages. They had exotic titles such as Melati-knoppen, Melati buds, De geur van moeders haarwrong, the odor/smell of mothers hair knot or Lotos of morgendauw, Lotos or morning dew. He wrote a famous brochure on Kartini, the Javanese princess and Indonesian national heroine, whose popular letters were published in 1912 and also contributed to Dutch Indies literature.

He was not a radical Indonesian nationalist, but a supporter of the so-called association politics, which sought collaboration between the Dutch and the native peoples of the Dutch East Indies. In his literary magazine Oedaya (English: Sunrise), founded in 1923, he claims to be "under no influence of any political party, nor any private interest." The editors of his magazine, he said are "solely guided by a constructive attitude towards the relationship between the Netherlands and Indonesia." "Calm, gradualism and naturalness, symbolized in a sunrise" were the guidelines for the magazine to contribute to the (sun)rise of Indonesia.