Moving portraits of everyday grace in an impressive debut collection. One of the standout scenes in Rendang rises from a second-hand memory in the daydream of a bored poet in a dressing room. A couple see a woman on the street dancing, hood over head, can of Diet Coke in hand: “The wind blew/and … [Read more...]
Clarissa Goenawan pens tale of teenage misfits’ gothic soul-searching
March 8, 2020 by
Mainstream stories about popular teenagers can be a little bit boring sometimes, since their lives are kind of predictable and go smoothly most of the time. What is not so predictable is the second novel of Indonesian-born Singaporean author Clarissa Goenawan, The Perfect World of Miwako Sumida, … [Read more...]
Seven books to read in celebration of International Women’s Day
March 8, 2020 by
Over the years, Asia House Arts has been honoured to host a range of brilliant female writers from across Asia and the diaspora. Their writing not only inspires women everywhere, but also shines a light on stories of women that aren’t otherwise heard. So ahead of International Women’s Day (8 … [Read more...]
C*bul: Perbincangan Serius Tentang Seksualitas Kontemporer by Hendri Yulius
March 8, 2020 by
Hendri Yulius’ C*bul: Perbincangan Serius Tentang Seksualitas Kontemporer unveils the contemporary sexuality from the pornographic points of view. The content of the books itself is noteworthy because there are not so many non-fiction books that exposes the issues on sexuality, pornography and … [Read more...]
The Wandering by Intan Paramaditha review – existential journeys
March 7, 2020 by
The Indonesian writer’s debut novel cleverly uses the choose-your-own-adventure form to explore travel and identity. The Wandering is the Indonesian writer Intan Paramaditha’s first novel (her first story collection to appear in English, Apple & Knife, came out in 2018). And what a debut it … [Read more...]