Intan Paramaditha's Apple and Knife, translated from Indonesian for the first time by Stephen J. Epstein, delivers a short sharp suite of tales. It would be tempting to describe the volume as feminist horror, though undercurrents of violence and misogyny, myth and madness don't stop it smouldering … [Read more...]
Phew! Europeesche beschaving! Marco Kartodikromo’s Student Hidjo
March 28, 2018 by
On the last page of Student Hidjo (Student Green, 1919) everything is in apparent stability and peace. Tata tentrem, its author, Marco Kartodikromo, would have called it in his journalistic work: Two years have passed. Green is married to Dame Violet, and he is living happily as the … [Read more...]
Intan Paramaditha Apple and Knife
March 11, 2018 by
This new story collection by the Indonesian-born Intan Paramaditha uses horror as a vehicle for representing the experiences of women living in patriarchy and for expressing feminist anger. The results are both unsettling and intoxicating. Often revising fairytales, the stories are reminiscent of … [Read more...]
Apple and Knife by Intan Paramaditha
March 2, 2018 by
Apple and Knife is an engrossing collection of short stories by Intan Paramaditha, translated into English from Indonesian for the first time by Stephen J. Epstein. I found myself so absorbed in the tales that I repeatedly lost track of time while reading. Fairytales, mythology, bits of horror and … [Read more...]
Dissecting ‘Nirzona’, a love story narrated through Aceh’s social and cultural contexts
February 21, 2018 by
Reading Nirzona, a novel by Indonesian writer Abidah El Khalieqy, may supply us with a deeper understanding of love and differences, and at the same time may also strengthen our feelings of national unity, which seems to have decreased, recently. In the vague global culture, Nirzona is a clear … [Read more...]
