A mysterious journey made by a young French poet 150 years ago is opening a new path for contemporary writers. Through the Rimbaud Residency, France and Indonesia are transforming Arthur Rimbaud’s brief passage across Central Java into their first bilateral and reciprocal literary residency programme.
A Poet’s Mysterious Journey Across Java
Arthur Rimbaud had already produced most of the poetry that would establish his international reputation when he abandoned literature in his early twenties. Searching for income and adventure, he enlisted in the Royal Netherlands East Indies Army and sailed to the Dutch East Indies in 1876.
After arriving in Batavia in July, Rimbaud continued to Semarang before travelling through Kedungjati and Tuntang to the military barracks in Salatiga. He deserted the colonial army shortly afterwards and disappeared from official military records. The limited documentation surrounding his movements has turned his Java journey into one of the most intriguing episodes of his life.
The French poet’s travels also connect literary history with the early railway network of Central Java. The stations, towns and landscapes he encountered remain part of the region’s living geography, giving Indonesian communities a direct place within a story more commonly associated with European literature.
Semarang Transforms Memory into Creation
The Rimbaud Residency was officially launched alongside the exhibition Arthur Rimbaud: A Journey through Java, held at Lawang Sewu in Semarang from August 6 to 8. French Ambassador Fabien Penone retraced part of Rimbaud’s route through Semarang, Kedungjati, Tuntang and Salatiga before opening the exhibition with Semarang Mayor Agustina Wilujeng Pramestuti.
“Rimbaud’s journey was brief, but its traces have created a long meeting place for culture, literature, art and human collaboration,” Agustina said. For Semarang, the programme demonstrates how local heritage can be reinterpreted as a foundation for international cultural cooperation rather than remaining a static memory from the colonial period.
Penone described the residency as “a concrete step to transform historical memory into a cultural dialogue for the present and the future.” The initiative connects historical research with literary creation while giving writers opportunities to engage directly with the cities and communities behind the story.
Dalembert Begins the First Residency
The inaugural resident is Louis-Philippe Dalembert, a Haitian-born novelist and poet based in Paris. Writing in French and Haitian Creole, Dalembert has developed an internationally recognized body of work centred on memory, migration, exile, identity and encounters between cultures.
His novels include Avant que les ombres s’effacent, winner of the 2017 Prix Orange du Livre; Mur Méditerranée, recipient of the 2019 Prix de la Langue française and several international Choix Goncourt awards; and Milwaukee Blues, a finalist for the 2021 Prix Goncourt. His experience living, teaching and completing residencies in different countries makes him a fitting first participant in a programme shaped by travel.
From September to November 2026, Dalembert will spend three months in Semarang, pursuing his literary work at Lawang Sewu. His residency will extend beyond private writing time through public meetings, workshops and discussions with Indonesian authors, students, researchers and readers.
The programme is being implemented with the City of Semarang, Alliance Française Semarang and Universitas Negeri Semarang. Its local partnerships are intended to ensure that the residency becomes an exchange with the city rather than simply a foreign writer’s temporary stay.
A Literary Journey in Both Directions
Reciprocity is at the centre of the programme. After Dalembert’s residency, an Indonesian writer will travel to France in early 2027 for another three-month placement at the Cité internationale de la langue française.
Located at the Château de Villers-Cotterêts, where King François I signed the 1539 ordinance establishing French as the kingdom’s official administrative language, the institution was inaugurated by President Emmanuel Macron in 2023. It now welcomes French-speaking writers, researchers and cultural practitioners from different parts of the world.
The two residencies form a single exchange, allowing writers from France and Indonesia to experience each other’s literary environments while developing new work. This model gives Indonesian participants access to French authors, publishers and cultural institutions while introducing French writers to literary communities beyond Jakarta and Bali.
Literature Enters a Wider Partnership
The Rimbaud Residency builds on the momentum created during the 75th anniversary of France–Indonesia diplomatic relations in 2025. Rimbaud was among 11 French personalities featured in Indonesia, Unprecedented Lights: 150 Years of French-Indonesian Exchanges, which explored more than a century and a half of artistic, scientific and intellectual encounters.
The residency also follows the Borobudur Declaration on a Joint Cultural Strategy adopted by Presidents Emmanuel Macron and Prabowo Subianto in May 2025. Further literary initiatives have included the launch of Choix Goncourt Indonesia in May 2026 and the participation of French writers and publishing figures in the 2026 Makassar International Writers Festival.
Together, these programmes show a partnership moving beyond ceremonial diplomacy. Literature creates opportunities for universities, publishers, cultural organizations and city governments to cooperate while bringing international exchange directly to writers and readers.
New Chapters Beyond Semarang
The French Embassy and Institut français d’Indonésie plan to establish two additional residencies dedicated to literary creation and translation in other parts of Indonesia before June 2027. Future editions of the Rimbaud Residency are also expected to continue, complementing the existing multidisciplinary KOTA residency programme with the Cité internationale des arts in Paris.
Rimbaud reached Java in 1876 while searching for another life. One hundred and fifty years later, his unfinished journey is inspiring writers to travel for a different purpose: to listen, create and build connections across languages. Through the Rimbaud Residency, a mysterious episode from the past becomes the beginning of a shared literary future.
