Saeroen

Saeroen (Perfected Spelling: Saerun; fl. 1920s–1962) was an Indonesian journalist and screenwriter. Born in Yogyakarta, he became a journalist after a time working at a railway station. By the mid-1930s he had established the daily Pemandangan with Raden Hajji Djunaedi and was writing editorials with the pen name Kampret. When the paper was dissolved, Saeroen drifted into the film industry as a writer, making his debut with Albert Balink's Terang Boelan (1937). Much of his later life was spent working with several minor publications.

Early life and career

Saeroen was born in Yogyakarta, Dutch East Indies, to a courtier (abdi dalem) and his wife. After failing to complete his schooling at two different elementary schools, during which time he worked cleaning horse-drawn carriages and delivering newspapers, he passed a written test equivalent to an elementary school diploma. He then went to Batavia (modern-day Jakarta) to work at a train station. After several months he was asked to work at the railway employees' news publication, Vereniging van Spoor-en TramPersoneel.