Soeman Hasibuan (Perfected Spelling: Suman Hasibuan; 4 April 1904 – 8 May 1999) better known by his pen name Soeman Hs, was an Indonesian author recognized for pioneering detective fiction and short story writing in the country's literature. Born in Bengkalis, Riau, Dutch East Indies, to a family of farmers, Soeman studied to become a teacher and, under the author Mohammad Kasim, a writer. He began working as a Malay-language teacher after completing normal school in 1923, first in Siak Sri Indrapura, Aceh, then in Pasir Pengaraian, Rokan Hulu, Riau. Around this time he began writing, publishing his first novel, Kasih Tak Terlarai, in 1929. In twelve years he published five novels, one short story collection, and thirty-five short stories and poems.
During the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies (1942–1945) and subsequent revolution, Soeman—though he remained a teacher—became active in politics, serving first on a representatives' council and then as part of the Indonesian National Committee for Pasir Pengaraian in Pekanbaru. Following the Netherlands' recognition of Indonesia's independence in 1949, Soeman was made the head of the regional department of education, working to rebuild damaged infrastructure and to establish new schools, including the first senior high school in Riau and the . He remained active in education until his death.
As an author, Soeman wrote stories which emphasized suspense and humour, drawing on Western detective and adventure fiction as well as classical Malay literature. His written Malay, with a vocabulary heavily influenced by his east Sumatran background, flowed readily and avoided excessive verbosity. Soeman's most popular work was his novel Mentjahari Pentjoeri Anak Perawan (1932), whereas his short story collection Kawan Bergeloet (1941) has been considered his most interesting from a literary perspective. Though considered a minor author of the Poedjangga Baroe period, Soeman has been recognized with an eponymous library and his books have been taught at schools.
Early life
Soeman was born in Bengkalis, Riau, Dutch East Indies, in 1904. His father, Wahid Hasibuan, and mother, Turumun Lubis, had been born in (in what is now Mandailing Natal), but moved to Bengkalis after marriage to avoid conflict between the Hasibuans and a rival clan. In a 1989 interview, Soeman stated that he was not sure of the conflict's source, but he suspected that his father, who was descended from a Mandailing king, felt as though his honour had been impugned.
In Bengkalis, Wahid and Turumun farmed pineapples and coconuts. Wahid also taught Quran reading, which provided supplementary income for the Muslim family. As his father taught at their home, Soeman began learning to read the Quran at a young age. Meanwhile, from the traders who visited Wahid, he also heard stories of the crimes committed in major cities such as Singapore. In 1913 Soeman enrolled at a local Malay school, where his teachers reinforced the importance of reading. Soeman took this lesson to heart, reading numerous books by European and Malay authors from the school library before he graduated in 1918.
Hoping to become a teacher, Soeman tried out for a course for potential teachers in Medan, North Sumatra, soon after graduation. After he was accepted, he spent two years studying in that city. Among his teachers was Mohammad Kasim, whose later short story collection Teman Doedoek (1937) became the first such work in the Indonesian literary canon. Outside of class, Soeman would listen to Kasim's stories about authors and the creative writing process; this sparked his interest in becoming a writer. After two years in Medan, Soeman continued to a normal school in Langsa, Aceh, where he stayed until 1923. There he met his future wife, Siti Hasnah.
After graduation, Soeman found employment at HIS Siak Sri Indrapura, a Dutch-language school for indigenous students in Siak Sri Indrapura, Aceh. Soeman worked as a Malay-language teacher there for seven years, until 1930, when he met a young teacher from Java who was involved in the nationalist movement. Soeman and several other teachers joined him for discussion and to furtively play the song "Indonesia Raya", which was under a ban from the Dutch colonial government. When this was discovered, Soeman was transferred to Pasir Pengaraian, Rokan Hulu, Riau. Despite repeated requests for transfer, Soeman remained in Pasir Pengaraian until the Japanese occupation of the Dutch East Indies began in 1942, eventually being made principal.