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Balai Pustaka (; Balai Poestaka in van Ophuijsen orthography, both meaning "Bureau of Literature") is the state-owned publisher of Indonesia and publisher of major pieces of Indonesian literature such as Salah Asuhan, Sitti Nurbaya and Layar Terkembang. Its head office is in Jakarta.
Founded in 1917 as the Kantoor voor de Volkslectuur, Balai Pustaka was used by the Dutch colonial government as a means to control native Indonesians' access to information. After changing hands twice during the Indonesian war of independence, Balai Pustaka formally fell under the ownership of the Indonesian government.
At the time, numerous free presses existed, publishing work in either bazaar or Chinese Malay. These works were outside of the control of colonial government and considered harmful to public morals. To provide "reading suitable for native Indonesians," the commission was formalised as the Office for People's Reading () in 1917. In 1918 it was renamed Balai Pustaka.
At first Balai Pustaka released Malay translations of popular novels from the West, including The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Last of the Mohicans, and Sans Famille. It also published original, Malay-language short stories such as Penghibur Hati. With the publication of Azab dan Sengsara in 1920, Balai Pustaka began publishing original novels.
During this time Balai Bahasa practised strict censorship. Works such as Salah Asuhan were blocked from publication until they fulfilled the publisher's demands. It also required the use of formal Malay language for works in that language; this requirement led to a disproportionate number of writers being published.
During World War II and the Indonesian war of independence, control of Balai Pustaka changed hands twice. After the Dutch surrendered, the Japanese gave control of Balai Pustaka over to the native Indonesians. It was later retaken by the Dutch in July 1947, and then formally returned to Indonesian control in 1949 when the Dutch formally acknowledged Indonesia's independence.
Currently, Balai Bahasa is a state-owned publisher. Aside from publishing books, it also prints the national exams for senior high, vocational, and junior high schools.
Among the themes common to works published in the Balai Pustaka period are arranged marriage, conflict between the younger and older generations, and conflict between Western culture and adat. The diction is standardised, not dependent on the author.
| 1920 | Azab dan Sengsara | Pain and Suffering | Merari Siregar |
| 1922 | Habis Gelap Terbitlah Terang | After Darkness Light is Born | R.A. Kartini |
| 1922 | Sitti Nurbaya: Unrealized Love | Marah Rusli | |
| 1928 | Salah Asuhan | Wrong Upbringing | Abdul Muis |
| 1928 | Salah Pilih | Wrong Choice | Nur Sutan Iskandar |
| 1936 | Layar Terkembang | The Sail Unfolds | Sutan Takdir Alisjahbana |
| 1948 | Dari Ave Maria ke Jalan Lain ke Roma | From Ave Maria to Another Way to Rome | Idrus |
| 1949 | Atheis | Atheist | Achdiat Karta Mihardja |
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