Tantri: Perempuan yang Bercerita

In the forest, the tiger is not always mighty. Once, it was tricked by a goat chewing on a gondola tree—a plant that oozed blood-like sap. Terrified, the king of the jungle believed the goat to be a predator of tigers.

Though titled Tantri, the Woman Who Tells Stories, this is not a book of fairy tales. Cok Sawitri, the author, presents fragments of fables that offer lessons on how we ought to value and live life. The stories also provide moral guidance on how to behave and communicate with others.

Through her imagined animals, Tantri—the storyteller in this novel—offers a perspective “from the other side,” one that differs from the way we normally see the world. How does she possess so many framed tales that, in the end, manage to humble a ruthless king?

The animals come alive and act like humans, reminding us of the Hollywood animated films that flood our entertainment market. Yet through Cok Sawitri’s beautiful language, these creatures are portrayed as local beings—close to us, familiar, even reflective of ourselves.