His writing career began during the Japanese occupation period, when he submitted short stories to a number of magazines without success. In 1946, he won a drama-writing competition in East Java. He began to contribute poetry to literary magazines, and also worked as a freelance journalist for a number of newspapers. In 1953, he suffered from an illness, which forced him to focus on his writing for a living.[1] He gradually became well-known, with his works being submitted to a large number of newspapers based in Jakarta.[2]
Audah began to develop an interest in Arabic literature after one of his siblings lived for a time in the Arabian peninsula. He received a number of Arabic works from his sibling, learned the language, and became a renowned translator. His best-received translation was Abdullah Yusuf Ali's The Holy Qur'an: Text, Translation and Commentary (1934), which became a best-seller in Indonesia.[3] Audah also later learned English, French and German, despite his lack of formal education. Audah took a cautious approach to his translations, often spending hours translating individual words or sentences.[3]
Outside his literature career, he served as head of department for the shari'a faculty at Ibnu Khaldun University, Bogor [id], lectured humanities at Bogor Agricultural Institute, and chaired the Indonesian Translators' Association between 1974 and 1984. He was also engaged in literature education at Indonesian high schools.[1][3]
He died in his home in Bogor on 20 June 2017.[5]
