The Outcast

She has been accused of heresy since she was born. She has been considered deviant and must be excommunicated. On behalf of faith and love, her marriage is sacrificed. On behalf of God, she and her family were expelled, and their home was destroyed. It has been seven years now that Maryam and hundreds of others live in a refugee camp at a small and cramped government-owned building in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. The story of Maryam is a sad tragedy within a country full of beauty. What they need is justice. How long should they wait?

OKKY MADASARI is a recipient of the Khatulistiwa Literary Award 2012 for the Indonesian edition of The Outcast––Maryam. Her other novels include The Years of the Voiceless––Entrok (2010), 86 (2011) about corruption in modern-day Indonesia, and Pasung Jiwa (2013) which delves into individual freedoms. The common thread running through these works is the fight against injustice and the struggle for the values of humanity and freedom.¹

1. Gramediana ↩