In this article Indonesia Out of Exile Max Lane Pramoedya Ananta Toer
By John Krich, originally published in Nikkei Asia
Jul 13, 2023
Read the full article here. / Subscription may be required.
By John Krich, originally published in Nikkei Asia
Jul 13, 2023
New history recounts writer-activist Pramoedya’s brave fight against persecution
Imagine being a young Australian Embassy official having your first look at hundreds of rough, tattered pages smuggled out of a remote island prison camp and quickly recognizing it as one of the literary masterpieces of the 20th century -- a seminal work of historical fiction and postcolonial identity for Indonesia and Asia.
"It was a big responsibility, heavy and stressful," Max Lane says, speaking half a century later to Nikkei Asia. "Because the author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, wasn't known as a writer to the English-speaking world, only to some as a political prisoner."
Imagine being a young Australian Embassy official having your first look at hundreds of rough, tattered pages smuggled out of a remote island prison camp and quickly recognizing it as one of the literary masterpieces of the 20th century -- a seminal work of historical fiction and postcolonial identity for Indonesia and Asia.
"It was a big responsibility, heavy and stressful," Max Lane says, speaking half a century later to Nikkei Asia. "Because the author, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, wasn't known as a writer to the English-speaking world, only to some as a political prisoner."
Read the full article here. / Subscription may be required.
Max Lane
