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 civilization and remained a great exponent of modernism throughout his life.

[1] 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.

[2] His first novel, Tak Putus Dirundung Malang (Misfortune without End) was published by Balai Pustaka in 1929.

[2] Under Japanese occupation, in 1943 he became a secretary of the Komisi Bahasa Indonesia (Indonesian Language Commission).