Iksaka Banu is widely known for his historical fiction, most of which are set during the Dutch colonial era in the East Indies before Indonesia gained its independence and became a sovereign country. Sang Raja, first published by Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia in 2017, is one of those. Focusing on a … [Read more...]

In, Happy Stories, Mostly, a collection of short stories, the complexities of queer life in the Southeast Asian country come into focus. Happy endings (or beginnings) don’t make for good fiction, as the Indonesian writer Norman Erikson Pasaribu knows well. But Pasaribu doesn’t want to give … [Read more...]

After six years, I am very relieved that I am being very much occupied with enthusiasm to share whatever I feel and think about This Earth of Mankind, an Indonesian novel by the late Pramoedya Ananta Toer. The previous post detailed how much I have been struggling with enjoying Indonesian novels. … [Read more...]

Of course I’m angry, not just angry. Beyond rage. Furious. This isn’t a small thing. Yet they talked about marrying me off like we’re going to the salon to cut my hair. Hair grows back. Hello! This is marriage! Marriage means a whole new life with all those unknown unforeseeable things. Yes, I am … [Read more...]

Hard on the heels of The Idealist, Nicholas José’s new novel set in 1990s East Timor, (2023, see my review) comes another historical novel set in our region… Like The Idealist Mirandi Riwoe’s Sunbirds is set in the turbulent period shortly before decolonisation, but her novel is set during WW2 on … [Read more...]