Clara Ng’s “Meteors” is a deceptively simple tale of a sweet relationship between an alien and an earthling. Set in a distant galaxy, it plays with the dimensions of space and time. However, reading it in Indonesian likely provides a different experience than reading its English translation. This … [Read more...]

In October 2015, Indonesia made its appearance as the guest of honor at the Frankfurt Book Fair—the first country from Southeast Asia to be so honored.  Words Without Borders celebrated with our August 2015 issue, which offered work by nine poets and fiction writers. Now, three and half years later, … [Read more...]

When Inside Indonesia was launched in November 1983, the events of 1965/66 were still fresh in the Indonesian nation’s collective memory. The official interpretation of those events – that the Army had foiled an attempted coup by the Indonesian communist party (PKI) and its supporters, incarcerating … [Read more...]

UNESCO closed its 42nd General Assembly in Paris, Wed (22/11) with the announcement that the birthdays of two Indonesian heroic figures, Keumalahayati and AA Navis, to be celebrated internationally, per Detikcom, Sat (2/12). The decision took into account UNESCO’s purpose and philosophy in the … [Read more...]

Was this year’s Ubud Writers and Readers Festival worthwhile? My word – the people of the book had a literary communion. Almost two hundred speakers (gleaned from a list four times longer) handled challenging ideas mainly with aplomb. Not all was fiction – human rights were prominent … [Read more...]