Budi Darma

Who is Budi Darma?

Budi Darma, BA, MA, Prof. Emeritus is often described as one of Indonesia's most influential writers.

Budi Darma is the fourth of six children, all male. During his childhood and teens, Budi and his family lived in a number of different cities in Java, including Yogyakarta, Bandung and Semarang, due to the nature of his father's position in the postal service. His schooling reflected his family's nomadic existence. Budi's attended elementary school in Kudus, junior high in Salatiga, and high school in Semarang, graduating from there in 1957. He then studied at the English Literature Department, Faculy of Letters, University of Gadjah Mada. After graduating in 1963, Budi moved to Iowa for the International Writing Program at the University of Iowa. In 1970, he received a scholarship from the East-West Center to study humanities at the University of Hawaii, before graduating with an MA from Indiana University Bloomington in 1976. Four years later, in 1980, he earned his Ph.D for his dissertation on "Character and Moral Judgment in Jane Austen's Novels", from the same university. His return to Indonesia was followed by a succession of notable appointments: between the years 1984-1987 he was appointed Dean of the English Department of the State University of Surabaya, became a member of the Arts Council, and Rector of the Surabaya Teachers' Training College. Budi Darma continued lecturing at the English Department of the State University of Surabaya until his retirement, at the age of 70, in 2007.