I Gusti Ngurah Putu Wijaya (born April 11, 1944), better known simply as Putu Wijaya, was born in Tabanan, Bali. He is an Indonesian author, considered by many to be one of Indonesia's most prominent literary figures. His output is impressive; his published works include more than thirty novels, forty dramas, a hundred short stories, and thousands of essays, articles, screenplays and television dramas, and he has been the recipient of a number of literary prizes. Biography Early life Putu Wijaya is the youngest of eight siblings (three of them from a different father). He lived in a large housing complex with around 200 people who were all members of the same extended family, and were accustomed to reading. His interest in literature came not from his immediate family but his extended family, and as a primary school student, he read classics like Anton Chekhov and William Shakespeare. His father, I Gusti Ngurah Raka, was hoping for him to become a doctor, but he was weak in the natural sciences. He liked history, language and geography. As a child, he used to sneak out to see traditional dance dramas or wayang. But it wasn't until high school, when he participated in a performance of Anton Chekhov's The Bear, that his love for theater began. Not long after he finished junior high school his first works were published in Suluh Indonesia, and several years later his works appeared in the "Fajar" (Dawn) column of Mimbar Indonesia (Indonesian Pulpit) magazine. Within five years his essays and stories were being published in Minggu Pagi (Sunday Morning) and Majalah Djawa (Java Magazine). After graduating from high school, he continued his tertiary education in Yogyakarta, studying at the Indonesian Fine Arts Academy and the Drama and Film Arts Academy, before graduating with a law degree from Gadjah Mada University. While in Yogyakarta, he became involved in theater and performed in several theater groups including Bengkel Teater and . In 1969, his play Lautan Bernyanyi (Chanting ocean) was awarded third place in a drama-writing contest organized by the Indonesian National Theater Development Agency. From Yogyakarta, Putu moved to Jakarta where he launched his literary career while working as a journalist for Tempo and Zaman. He retained his interest in theater and, soon after arriving in Jakarta, joined Teater Kecil and Teater Populer. Later career Since 1971 he has led the Teater Mandiri, widely regarded as Indonesia's