The histQry of this book dates back exactly 20 years. When I first set foot on the shores O'f Indonesia in September 1947, I was, amongst other things, assigned the task 0' Pds. teaching Malay literature in an advanced teacher-training course, with the instructiOon to' lay stress on modern literature. This was easier said than done, as very little had been written Oon the subject, and few materials were available to me. From this period I recall with great gratitude the regular and friendly contacts I had with Mr. Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana, whO' in many ways me with information and documentatiO'n. helped The editQrs of the magazine "Kritiek en Opbouw" found my lecture nffies Qn some pre-war authors worth publishing. These articles, with an introduction on Bahasa Indonesia and some other additiQns, were subsequently coUected and published by Pembangunan under the title Voltooid Voorspel (Completed Prelude) (Djakarta 1950). The little book sold fairly quickly, but rather than publishing a new edition in Dutch the publisher was interested in bringing out an Indo~ nesian adaptation. Much material was added, the larger part of which had been CQllected by writing occasional reviews Qf Indonesian literary works for the Dutch newspaper Nieuwsgier in Djakarta. The text of the book was very conscientiously turned intO' Bahasa Indonesia by Anku Raihul Amar gl.

Inhalt
One: Pre-War Litrature.- 1. Socio-political Background.- 2. The History of the Malay Language.- 3. Indonesian Nationalism and Bahasa Indonesia.- 4. The Beginnings of Poetry: Muhammad Yamin.- 5. Early Political Novels.- 6. Poetry up to 1928; Rustam Effendi.- 7. 1928, the Proclamation of Bahasa Indonesia.- 8. Sanusi Pané's Madah Kelana.- 9. Historical Dramas.- 10. Pudjangga Baru and Bahasa Indonesia.- 11. Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana on Bahasa Indonesia.- 12. The Poetry of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana.- 13. The Polemics on Culture.- 14. The Artist as a Teacher: Lajar Terkembang.- 15. Pudjangga Baru and the Tachtigers; J. E. Tatengkeng.- 16. Pudjangga Baru in Retrospect.- 17. Other Poetry of the Period.- 18. Traditional Poetry: the Sjairs.- 19. Traditional Prose Writing; Historical Novels.- 20. Early Balai Pustaka Novels.- 21. Minangkabau Society and the Indonesian Novel.- 22. Marah Rush's Sitti Nurbaja.- 23. Nur St. Iskandar and his Early Novels.- 24. Other Novels in Minangkabau Setting.- 25. Development of the Novel; Abdul Muis' Salah Asuhan and other Highlights.- 26. Various Novels by Takdir and Nur St. Iskandar.- 27. Novels in Various Sumatran Settings.- 28. Hamka as a Novelist.- 29. Story Tellers and Roman Pitjisan.- 30. Various non-Sumatran Novels.- 31. Pre-war and Post-war Literature; Armijn Pané as a link?.- 32. Armijn Pané's Belenggu.- 33. Amir Hamzah, Seal of Malay and Herald of Indonesian Poetry.- Two: Post-War Literature.- 1. 1942, the Year of the Break.- 2. Novel and Stoiry-Writing under the Japanese Occupation.- 3. Play-Writing under the Japanese Occupation.- 4. The Angkatan 45. Documentation.- 5. The Angkatan 45. Meetings, Congresses, Symposia.- 6. H. B. Jassin, Custodian of Modern Indonesian Literature.- 7. The Angkatan 45. Chairil Anwar and Vitalism.-8. Surat Kepertjajaan Gelanggang; the Ideal of Universal Humanism.- 9. Asrul Sani, Sitor Situmorang and the Ideals of the Angkatan 45.- 10. The Marxists and the Angkatan 45.- 11. Discussion on the Crisis in Literature.- 12. Broader Framework of the Angkatan 45.- 13. Chairil Anwar.- 14. Idrus.- 15. Pramudya Ananta Tur.- 16. Sitor Situmorang.- 17. Utuy Tatang Sontani.- 18. Mochtar Lubis.- 19. Trisno Sumardjo.- 20. Achdiat Karta Mihardja.- 21. Minor Poets of the Angkatan 45.- 22. Some Post-War Women Authors.- 23. Minor Prose Writers of the Angkatan 45.- 24. Odds and Ends.- 25 The Angkatan Terbaru.- 26. Three Javanese Poets.- 27. Ajip Rosidi.- 28. Prose Writers of the Younger Generation.- 29. Epilogue. The Manifes Kebudajaan and the Angkaitan 66.- List of Abbreviations.- Bibliography I.- Bibliography II.