
Archive/Nellaneva
In this article: Ika Natassa
Written by Felix Martua
Originally published in Jakarta Post.
Apr 26, 2023
Written by Felix Martua
Originally published in Jakarta Post.
Apr 26, 2023
The public and filmmakers have started to shift their gaze from the more mainstream fiction novels. There was a long period when local mainstream novelists ruled the best-seller list and the silver screen. Indonesian novelists such as Ika Natassa (Critical Eleven), Ilana Tan (Winter in Tokyo), Erisca Febriani (Dear Nathan), and Risa Saraswati (Danur) have turned romance and horror novels into mainstream fiction that drew not only huge sales and bankable motion picture adaptations but also a flock of wannabe novelists who attempted to follow the exact blueprint. It is no longer a secret commercial viability has always been on any aspiring novelist's mind, and looking at the success of their predecessors, it is a no-brainer the former would immediately assume exploring romance or horror was the way to go.
Read the full article here.