'''Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana''' ([[Jawi alphabet|Jawi]]: {{script/Arabic|سوتن تقدير عليشاهبان}};a February 11, 1908 – July 17, 1994), was born in [[Natal, North Sumatra|Natal]], [[North Sumatra]]. His family came from [[Minangkabau people|Minangkabau]] who migrated there in 19th century. He was a founder and editor of ''[[Poedjangga Baroe]]''. He became one of Indonesian literature's guiding lights in its formative years, particularly in the time around independence. Sutan Takdir believed that Indonesia could learn from the values of [[western culture|western civilization]] and remained a great exponent of modernism throughout his life. A renaissance man himself – the author of numerous books on a range of subjects – he was working on a novel at the time of his death in 1994. The famous novel, ''[[Layar Terkembang]]'', showed him as a progressive author. He died in [[Jakarta]] on July 17, 1994.
