Minanto, a graduate of English Studies at Universitas Padjadjaran, is an award-winning author shortlisted as a candidate for the 2021 Literary Award by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology of the Republic of Indonesia (Penghargaan Sastra Kemendikbud RI). Minanto was born on June 6, 1992 in Indramayu, Jawa Barat. He was born in a family consisting of parents and four siblings. He has written four novels, and three of his novels have been published. His first novel is Semang published in 2017 by Diandra Creative, and the second is Dulatip Ingin Membenturkan Kepalanya Ke Tembok Setiap Kali Ia Diberitahui Kabar Tentang Orang Tua, published in 2018 by Indie Book Corner. His lastest novel, Aib dan Nasib, was submitted for Penghargaan Sastra Kemendikbud RI 2021. The Penghargaan Sastra Kemendikbud RI 2021 honors literary works and the writers that positively impact nation character development. The awardee for Penghargaan Sastra Kemendikbud RI 2021 will be announced on October 28, 2021. Minanto will also be one of the essential judges in Padjadjaran English Competition in October 2021, formerly known as Gemasi’s English Competition (GEC). Padjadjaran English Competition (PEC) is Gemasi’s biggest annual event consisting of several fields of competition, such as speech, storytelling, short story writing, and poetry reading.

One of his novels that caught a lot of attention recently is Aib dan Nasib published in 2020 by Marjin Kiri Publisher. Aib dan Nasib is not only a shortlisted candidate for Penghargaan Sastra Kemendikbud RI 2021, but also an awardee in Sayembara Novel DKJ 2019. Aib dan Nasib has five significant chapters and tells stories about the life of Tegalurung villagers, which consist of various conflicts, such as poverty, romantic relationships, social media issues, and local political elections. Minanto wrote Aib dan Nasib based on a village where he grew up and the people surrounding him there.

Minanto grew up in Tegalurung and Singaraja village with his family. He lived with his grandparents when he was a child and lived with his parents after graduation. As a son in Singaraja village and as a grandson in Tegalurung village, Minanto learned social norms from both villages. He learned social norms both from his religious grandmother and his mother, who is not very religious. This gives him a perspective that everyone has their own way to perceive everything. He developed his passion for writing since he was a child by writing his journal and short stories. He began to focus on his writing in 2015 when he wrote his first novel. Moreover, one of the well-known writers that influenced and inspired him is James Baldwin, an American novelist concerned about gender, sexuality, race, and class. One thing for sure is he will continue to write as long as he can.