Mars Noersmono’s story is a first-person account of a nation’s shame. Mars Noersmono has a story he’s determined to tell. It’s deeply disturbing — a tale of horror and courage, despair and resilience. Although primarily about Indonesia’s bloody and brutal past, it’s also a sober warning … [Read more...]

Laksmi Pamuntjak's new novel Fall Baby sees its protagonist discovering her true parentage and encountering censorship of her work. Art, politics and the relationships between women make for a heady combination in Indonesian writer Laksmi Pamuntjak's new novel Fall Baby, in which an artist … [Read more...]

At first glance, the novel Kura-kura Berjanggut (The Bearded Turtle), set in Aceh's past, may look intimidating, being almost one thousand pages in length. But when you turn to the first page and start reading, the story will absorb you, and without realizing it you will have finished the first … [Read more...]

We welcome 2018 by bringing a little dismay and anxiety. This year, the election of the regional head will be held in numerous areas, followed by the presidential election in the following year. Hey! It gonna be the two year-marathon that drains your energy. Not even a month we already smell the … [Read more...]

Indonesian writer Eliza Vitri Handayani's short works have appeared in the Griffith Review, Asia Literary Review, Exchanges Journal, Magdalene, Jakarta Post, Koran Tempo, Words Without Borders, Inside Indonesia, and Index on Censorship. In 2012 she launched InterSastra, an initiative to improve … [Read more...]