Ali Akbar Navis (November 17, 1924 in Padang Panjang, West Sumatra – March 22, 2003 in Padang) was a prominent Indonesian author, poet and humorist. Navis showed signs of creativity from a young age. Before discovering his talents as a writer, he was an accomplished flautist and violist. He was also a skilled painter. After graduating from the Indonesisch Nederlandsche School (INS) – a Dutch-language teachers' school in in 1945, he began work as head of production at a Japanese-owned porcelain factory.