Myth and History: Writing from Indonesia

In October of this year, Indonesia will make its appearance as the guest of honor (GOH) at the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF)—the first country from Southeast Asia to be so honored. Because Frankfurt is the largest annual book publishing event in the world, it is, possibly, a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Indonesia to present to the world its books and authors. Nonetheless, in today’s world, however, where the primary international language of communication is English and, in Europe, where German serves as a bridging language for numerous other languages, the question remains: How can Indonesia adequately present its literature without a sufficient number of translations into English, German, and other major foreign languages? The answer to that is difficult at best.