Literature Marks the Times

Every literary work always marks its era, without exception. Nevertheless, the innovator forges their own path, boldly rejecting conventional rules. Chairil Anwar, a 20th-century Indonesian poet, pioneered the liberation of Indonesian poetry from all forms of constraint and structural rigidity inherent in traditional poetry by creating modern poetry. The works of European and American poets also influenced his creative process.

Access to increasingly open knowledge resources in this digital era provides greater opportunities for writers to innovate, breakthrough, or experiment in their work. It was also during this period that Nukila Amal wrote Cala Ibi (2003), a postmodern novel about female identity and communal conflict. She uses geometric motifs, such as doubling and mirroring, to present a layered and recurring fragmentary structure to the story. The plot is non-linear. Dreams and reality blend. She is known as one of the innovators in contemporary Indonesian literature.