Media Clippings

IKAPI to Pull Out of Frankfurt Book Fair for Pro-Israel Stance

Oct 16, 2023 / Tempo English by Maria Fransisca Lahur
The Indonesian Publishers Association (Ikapi) announced that they are pulling out from participating in the Frankfurt Book Fair (FBF) that was scheduled for October 18 to 22, 2023. The head of Ikapi Arys Hilman mentioned that there will be no Indonesian attribute or Indonesian flag as well as Ikapi's presence during the fair even if the stand has been built.

Ikapi's statement was announced following FBF's statement through its Director Juergen Boos, to officially supported Israel, as shown in its official social media accounts and website."FBF announced that they condemned Hamas' terror toward Israel and will give more room for Israeli writers to speak up in FBF 2023," Arys said on Sunday.

UWRF reflects on past, present, future through literature and the arts in 20th anniversary

Oct 14, 2023 / Jakarta Post
The world's finest thinkers, writers and artists will gather in Ubud, Bali’s cultural capital, to explore the pressing issues confronting humanity at this moment, their historical roots and potential consequences.

Attention all literary, arts and current affairs enthusiasts! The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF), one of Southeast Asia's most esteemed literary festivals, has just announced its 20th-anniversary edition, scheduled to take place from Oct. 18 to 22, 2023.

Ubud Writers & Readers Festival Unveils the Theme “Atita, Wartamana, Anagata: The Past, The Present, and The Future”

Oct 02, 2023 / Indonesia Expat
The Yayasan Mudra Swari Saraswati is proud to announce the return of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF), Southeast Asia’s flagship literary festival, for its 20th anniversary from 18th-22nd October 2023. Since its inception, the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival has served as an essential forum for writers and readers to share their stories and engage in meaningful discussions. To mark this important milestone, the festival has chosen the theme Atita, Wartamana, Anagata: The Past, the Present, and the Future.

The theme is inspired by the Balinese concept of ‘Tri Semaya,’ which is the philosophical view of time as non-linear, circular and collective. It embodies the idea of Atita, Wartamana, Anagata (Past, Present, Future) as inseparable and existing simultaneously. The concept evokes a metaphysical representation of ‘being’ that goes beyond the life of a single individual. It places importance on balance and harmony that weaves a delicate thread that ties humanity together across time and space. It transcends individualism for our mutual sustenance from one generation to the next.

The theme of the Ubud Writers & Readers Festival will manifest in a series of compelling programs that serve as a platform for dialogue and exchange. It will cover personal and collective history, spiritual rejuvenation, and the social, environmental, economic, and political contexts of our contemporary world.

Thousands Of English Literature Scripts Exhibited At Taman Ismail Marzuki

Sep 03, 2023 / VOI English
The DKI Jakarta Library and Archives Service (Disputip) presented thousands of manuscripts of Indonesian writer maestros at the HB Jassin Literature Documentation Center (PDS) Travel Exhibition entitled Ulang-Alik to the Past which lasted until September 17, 2023 at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) Jakarta.

The exhibition curator and literary archival activist Esha Tegar Putra said the exhibition concept was to determine HB Jassin's track record in documenting the history of literary development in Indonesia.

Full Program Announced for Ubud 2023

Aug 22, 2023 / Books+Publishing
Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) has announced the full line-up for its 20th-anniversary festival program, which will run from 18–22 October 2023 in Ubud, Indonesia.

Australian and New Zealand speakers at the festival include authors Anna Funder, Geraldine Brooks, Leigh Sales, Behrouz Boochani, Annabel Crabb, Tracey Lien, André Dao, Kathryn Heyman, Adolfo Aranjuez and Broede Carmody; Melbourne Writers Festival program manager Sonia Nair; former New Zealand Poet Laureate Chris Tse; documentary producer Kirsti Melville; and academics Omid Tofighian and Edwin Jurriëns.

Wasafiri at Large: Indonesian Writers and Mental Health

Aug 09, 2023 / Wasafiri by Sebastian Partogi
In its inaugural year, Wasafiri was joined by five Editors at Large based in Southeast Asia and Aotearoa New Zealand. As part of our Wasafiri at Large series, each Editor at Large has shed a valuable light on their local literary scene.

Sebastian Partogi, our former Editor at Large – based in Indonesia at the time – writes about how more and more young writers from his country highlight mental health issues in their literary works. This examination on mental health themes in literature is conducted through an analysis of two emerging authors’ works, framed in a bigger sociopolitical and economic context.

Pay attention: Local genre novelists are finally recognized

Apr 26, 2023 / Jakarta Post by Felix Martua
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.

Uniting Humanity through Ubud Writers & Readers Festival 2022

Oct 07, 2022 / Indonesia Expat
The Ubud Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF) will once again welcome over 200 speakers from 19 countries consisting of writers, humanists, activists, journalists, literary activists, and other important figures face-to-face on 27-30th October 2022 in Ubud, Bali. As the largest annual literary and arts event in Southeast Asia, this year’s theme portrays Memeyu Hayuning Bawana, an ancient Javanese philosophy which means endeavour to care for, protect, and beautify all aspects of the virtues of the universe. Roughly, UWRF conveys through the statement: “Uniting Humanity”.

2022 Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize

Sep 30, 2022 / Penguin UK Articles
Harvill Secker is delighted to announce Anandita ‘Didiet’ Budiman and Sekar Larasati Sulistya as the winners of the 2022 Harvill Secker Young Translators’ Prize for their joint translation from the Indonesian of Dua Muka Daun Pintu by Triskaidekaman. The prize was awarded at an online ceremony hosted by English PEN and the National Centre for Writing, on Friday 30th September, in celebration of International Translation Day.

Young readers find sense of community as Indonesia’s literary scene expands

Sep 12, 2022 / Southeast Asia Globe by Nisya Kunto
Tucked away in South Jakarta’s traditional market, a small bookshop is changing Indonesia’s literary scene. Inside the cosy space, readers become lost in their books, while others huddle close together to have deep conversations. Maesy Ang and Teddy Wijaya Kusuma launched POST Bookshop and Press with the concept of cultivating a space for meaningful discussions and creative growth. The store soon developed a cult following, partly due to its signature selection of books, but also because Jarkarta is becoming a literary hotspot in Asia.