Marah Rusli's novel Sitti Nurbaja was published first by Balai Pustaka in. 1922. It was by far the most popular of Indonesian novels prior to the second world war and still retained a great deal of popularity after it. This is common knowledge. That it is also a novel which has, as yet, not had its … [Read more...]

Sitti Nurbaya -- Nurbaya, also called Nur, is the teenage heroine of the story; 'Sitti' a not-age-specific female honorific (i.e. -- but not quite -- both 'Miss' and 'Ma'am') -- is subtitled: A Love Unrealized, which kind of gives away where this story is headed. From its beginning, Sitti … [Read more...]

The Book of Jakarta is the latest addition to the Reading the City series from Comma Press, presenting ten short stories based in the Indonesian capital. The stories that make up the collection share connected ideals, but each still offers a unique perspective on Jakarta, ranging from the political … [Read more...]

The closing lines of this 2016 Man Booker International Prize-nominated novel by Eka Kurniawan reads: “Marry my mother and she’ll be happy.” Anwar Sadat shook his head nervously. and his reply came out brokenly. “That’s impossible, you know I have a wife and daughters,” Something in his … [Read more...]

What do you know about Jakarta, or Indonesia? If the answer is “not much” then you should definitely pick up this collection of short stories. And if the answer is “a lot, actually” well, you should read it too, you will probably relate or find some familiar elements. The Book of Jakarta is a … [Read more...]