Umar Kayam was an innovator in many aspects of his life. When he was a student at Gadjah Mada University, he was one of the founders of the campus theater.[3]
When he was the general director of radio and television, he was credited with helping to make the Indonesian film industry competitive. As the chairman of the Jakarta Arts Council (1969–1972), he was known for conducting meetings that addressed modern art and traditional art forms. He developed a sociological study of Indonesian literature and introduced the "grounded theory" to Indonesian social research. All of this provided inspiration for the emergence of new creative works in the fields of literature, art and art performances, among other things.[4]
He was the author of many short stories, novels, essays and children's stories,[5] of which many are available in English. In 1987 he won the S.E.A. Write Award.[6]
Personal life
Kayam was married to his wife, former Femina journalist Yus Kayam, until his death.[7] Yus survived him until her death in Jakarta on 3 August 2021.[8]Nino Kayam [id], singer and songwriter known for his work with pop group RAN, is his grandson.[9]
Death
Umar Kayam died at 69 years old at March 16, 2002 at 07:45 AM at Jakarta from an intestinal bleeding disease. His body was buried at Karet Bivak Cemetery.
Publications
Kayam, Umar (1975). Sri Sumarah dan Bawuk(short stories) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pustaka Jaya. LCCN76941421. OCLC2699573.
Kayam, Umar (1980). Sri Sumarah dan Bawuk translated by Harry Aveling [Sri Sumarah and other stories]. Kuala Lumpur: Heinemann Educational Books. LCCN81178431. OCLC8031995.
Kayam, Umar (1981). Seni, Tradisi, Masyarakat(essays) (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Penerbit Sinar Harapan. LCCN82941057. OCLC8820515.
Kayam, Umar (1985). Semangat Indonesia: Suatu Perjalanan Budaya(with Henri Peccinotti) [Soul of Indonesia] (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Gramedia. LCCN85942505.
Kayam, Umar (1992). Para Priyayi (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pustaka Utama Grafiti. ISBN9794441864. LCCN92943855. OCLC27247838. Won the prize Yayasan Buku Utama Department of Education and Health, in 1995)
Kayam, Umar (1997). Parta krama kumpulan cerita pendek (in Indonesian). Yogyakarta: Yayasan Untuk Indonesia. LCCN97942078. OCLC37806755.
Eneste, Pamusuk (2001). Buku pintar sastra Indonesia : biografi pengarang dan karyanya, majalah sastra, penerbit sastra, penerjemah, lembaga sastra, daftar hadiah dan penghargaan. Jakarta: Penerbit Buku Kompas halaman 249. ISBN9799251788.
Kayam, Umar (1999). Jalan Menikung (in Indonesian). Jakarta: Pustaka Utama Grafiti. ISBN9789794444122. OCLC45082102.
^Rampan, Korrie Layun (2000). Leksikon Susastra Indonesia [Lexicon of Indonesian Literature] (in Indonesian) (First ed.). Jakarta: Balai Pustaka. pp. 501–502. ISBN979-666-358-9.
^Eneste, Pamusuk (2001). Buku Pintar Sastra Indonesia (in Indonesian) (Third ed.). Jakarta: Buku Kompas. p. 249. ISBN979-9251-78-8.
^Umar Kayam outside in: 30 April 1932-16 March 2002. New York City: Cooperation Foundation-Thousand Fireflies Fireflies & Publisher Pinus. 2005. pp. 5–6. ISBN9796546760.