Trisnojuwono was an Indonesian author, journalist and former revolutionary and military man born in Yogyakarta, 12 November 1925. He died in Bandung, 29 October 1996. Much of his literary work is based on his experiences as Pemuda during the Indonesian National Revolution and includes many unique eye witness accounts of this chaotic and violent period.
Trisnojuwono, c. 1963
Bersiap is the name given by the Dutch to a violent and chaotic phase of the Indonesian National Revolution following the end of World War II. The Indonesian word bersiap means 'get ready' or 'be prepared'. The Bersiap period lasted from August 1945 to November 1947. In Indonesia, other terms aside from bersiap are commonly used, such as gedoran in Depok, ngeli in Banten and surrounding West Java, and gegeran and dombreng in Central Java.
Bodies of murdered Chinese in a mass grave following the Mergosono massacre, 1947
A soldier of an Indian armoured regiment examines a light tank used by Indonesian nationalists and captured by British forces during the fighting in Surabaya, November 1945
Destruction in the Chinese quarter of Bandung, pictured in 1947
Pemuda on Java, armed with bamboo spears and Japanese rifles, 1946
