The theme for this year’s Ubud Writers & Readers Festival was ‘Sangkan Paraning Dumadi’, or ‘Origins’ – a term that “speaks to our eternal connection to where we have come from, and to where we will ultimately return.” This ties in well with the work of John McGlynn, who has devoted his … [Read more...]

There is a creeping silence in Indonesia. At the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, Sam Flynn spoke to those who write from the margins, despite the real and violent repercussions they face for doing so. Last month, I went to the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival. When I tell people, they often … [Read more...]

Recently, there has been increased demand among the Indonesian public for quality literary works thanks to the influence of social media, literary references in popular culture and thriving literary festivals across the country as well as international recognition for some local authors. That is … [Read more...]

Freedom of expression is something worthwhile that we have to keep. Prolific writer and poet Sitor Situmorang, who died in 2004, was arrested in 1967 and imprisoned without trial for eight years at Salemba penitentiary in Jakarta during Soeharto’s authoritarian New Order regime for his … [Read more...]