Farida was born on 5 May 1939 in Rangkasbitung, Lebak Regency, as the second daughter and youngest child of Jusa Biran.
[1][2] Her father was a journalist of Minangkabau descent who faced exile during the Dutch colonial period, while her mother was from Rangkasbitung.
[2] Her brother, Misbach Yusa Biran, was a director who often gave her a novel from a foreign country.
[2] Farida spent her childhood in Rangkasbitung, and has had completed middle high school education.
[2] She then moved to Bogor, Bandung, and Jakarta, and later began to publish a short story for make money.