In this article The Sea Speaks His Name Leila S. Chudori
By Cindy Julia Tobing, originally published in ADI MAGAZINE
Aug 18, 2026
Read the full article here.
By Cindy Julia Tobing, originally published in ADI MAGAZINE
Aug 18, 2026
In the months leading up to President Soeharto’s resignation in May 1998 after more than three decades of authoritarian rule, Indonesia was gripped by a wave of protests as economic collapse and political unrest converged. Across university campuses and city streets, students mobilized, calling for reform. The state responded to them with intimidation, arrests, and violence, and many pro-democracy activists were abducted by state military forces; some of them never returned.
It is against this backdrop of resistance, violence, and collective grief that journalist and novelist Leila S. Chudori set her 2017 novel Laut Bercerita—known in English as The Sea Speaks His Name. Chudori structures this novel into two narratives: one follows Biru Laut, a young student activist who was kidnapped after joining an underground resistance movement; the other revolves around his sister, Asmara Jati, who represents the anguish and confusion of the families who were left behind.
It is against this backdrop of resistance, violence, and collective grief that journalist and novelist Leila S. Chudori set her 2017 novel Laut Bercerita—known in English as The Sea Speaks His Name. Chudori structures this novel into two narratives: one follows Biru Laut, a young student activist who was kidnapped after joining an underground resistance movement; the other revolves around his sister, Asmara Jati, who represents the anguish and confusion of the families who were left behind.
Read the full article here.
Leila S Chudori / Adi Magazine
