Emha Ainun Nadjib

Muhammad Ainun Nadjib (born 27 May 1953), best known as Emha Ainun Nadjib or Cak Nun, is an Indonesian poet, essayist, and Islamic scholar. Born in Jombang, East Java, Nadjib began writing poetry while living in Yogyakarta, publishing his first collection in 1976. He became one of the city's predominant poets by the late 1980s, and by then had also began writing essays. He is the leader of the Kiai Kanjeng group, which stages dramas and musical performances on religious themes.

Early poems by Nadjib have elements of social criticism. However, more prominent are Islamic values, variously described as santri or Sufi. Islam is also a common subject for his essays. His writings have taken a variety of forms, including poetry, essays, novels, and short stories.

Early life

Nadjib was born Muhammad Ainun Nadjib in Jombang, East Java, on 27 May 1953. The fourth of fifteen children, he began his education at the Gontor pesantren, an Islamic boarding school, in Ponorogo. In his third year, Nadjib was expelled for leading a demonstration against school security. He later moved to Yogyakarta, where he studied at Muhammadiyah I Senior High School. He attended the economics program at Gadjah Mada University but did not graduate, leaving after one semester.