Revealing Aspect of Culture through Literature: Learning from Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana

This research explores the relationship between culture and literature, focusing on how culture is revealed through literary works. It is inspired by the thoughts of Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana (STA), an Indonesian writer and cultural figure who lived from 1908 to 1994. His ideas remain highly influential in literary and cultural studies today. The study aims to uncover relevant approaches for revealing culture through literary analysis and to trace STA’s intellectual legacy, both as a writer and a cultural thinker, in introducing new ideas for shaping a "New Indonesia." This library research relies on document studies, analyzing STA’s ideas, perspectives, and the opinions of others regarding his contributions to literature and culture. Using a descriptive qualitative approach, the study logically and systematically explains the function and role of literature in preserving culture, while also recognizing literature itself as an integral part of a society’s cultural identity. The findings suggest that STA’s thoughts and ideas on cultural development form a foundational framework for building a modern cultural identity, aligned with the vision of a new, progressive Indonesia.