Frankfurt Buchmesse 2015. Indonesian literature is a mystery to most. But as the world’s most prominent book festival kicks off this week in Frankfurt, the “islands of imagination” hope to elevate their status on the international stage. “17,000 Islands of Imagination,” this year’s title of the … [Read more...]
Southeast Asian literary exchanges, K-12, Miriam College and Asean integration
November 17, 2015 by
[hide for="!logged"]IT IS true how good fortune smiles even when one is down and being kicked. For a teacher like me making a countdown to “early separation” that Miriam College is bent on implementing in 2016 (regardless whether it is violating general-education teachers’ constitutional right to … [Read more...]
Rethinking Censorship in Indonesia
November 16, 2015 by
When censorship reared its ugly head at this year’s Ubud Writers and Readers Festival, it caught everyone off guard. ‘Surprising’ and ‘a new code of behaviour’ were how festival founder and director Janet DeNeefe phrased the pressure from the Balinese police to cancel events about the 1965 communist … [Read more...]
Time to shine for Indonesian literature
November 16, 2015 by
There is a sense of pride for Indonesians strolling down the streets of Frankfurt this week, as Indonesian authors and comic artists take part in discussions and activities around the city. Novels by Laksmi Pamuntjak, Leila S. Chudori, Eka Kurniawan and Ayu Utami feature prominently in the German … [Read more...]
Indonesian literature stars in the making
November 16, 2015 by
At one of the world’s most renowned publishing trade fairs, more than 70 authors and hundreds of other artists from Indonesia embarked on a mission to bring local literature to the global market. Indonesia had a good start at this year’s Frankfurt Book Fair, running from Oct. 14 to 18. [hide … [Read more...]