Sariamin Ismail
First Indonesian female author (1909-1995) · Indonesia · On the map · Writers · Died at 86
Sariamin Ismail was the first female Indonesian novelist to be published in the Dutch East Indies. A teacher by trade, by the 1930s she had begun writing in newspapers; she published her first novel, Kalau Tak Untung, in 1933.
Sariamin Ismail is read about 5.5 times a day, in 7 languages.
A typical day, 30 days to 24 September 2026
The middle day of the days counted, so one week of news cannot move it. The line under it is the last 60 days, one point a day.
Something wrong?Media & music
Photos 1
About this person
She published two novels and several poetry anthologies afterwards, while continuing to teach and - between 1947 and 1949 - serving as a member of the regional representative body in Riau. Her literary works often dealt with star-crossed lovers and the role of fate, while her editorials were staunchly anti-polygamy. She was one of only a handful of Indonesian women authors to be published at all during the colonial period, alongside Fatimah Hasan Delais, Saadah Alim, Soewarsih Djojopoespito and a few others.
