Zen Hae writes prose, poetry, and literary criticism. He was born in Jakarta in 1970, and has a degree in language and literature from IKIP Jakarta (now State University of Jakarta). His long history of engagement with Indonesian literature includes an early career in journalism, and he has also been a scriptwriter, part-time lecturer, NGO activist, and actor.
Hae has published the short story collection Rumah Kawin (The Wedding House) and a book of poems, Paus Merah Jambu (The Pink Whale). The latter was among the top five of the Khatulistiwa Literary Award 2008 and named Best Literary Work of 2007 by Tempo magazine. He served on the literary committee of the Jakarta Arts Council for two periods (2006–2012) and has worked as chief editor at Komunitas Salihara in Jakarta since 2013.
