Pramoedya Ananta Toer was born on February 6th in Blora, a small city of Central Java. He studied a technical degree in Surabaya, but before he could finish the Japanese invaded Java. He joined the Revolutionary National Liberation Army after the Japanese surrender in 1945 and, as a consequence of his militancy he was tortured and imprisoned by the Dutch, installed once again in power. In October of 1965, after Suharto's bloody military coup, was arrested and four years later sent to the island prison of Buru. Since they didn't let him read or write, he began to tell stories to his cellmates. That was how the tetralogy of Buru, published by Txalaparta, was born. The previous government has banned all of his books. He received the Ramon Magsaysay prize for Journalism and Literature. After so many years in prison and so much punishment, he now dedicates himself to enjoying his children and grandchildren. His house continues to be a meeting place for political discussion.
