Simple yet attractive—that is my first impression of this book. The cover immediately grabs my attention: the image of a man composed of letters is a brilliant way to tell readers that the author, Goenawan Mohamad, is himself a man of letters. The second thing that piques my interest is the … [Read more...]
And the War is Over, by Ismail Marahimin, translated by John H. McGlynn
May 17, 2017 by
This short novel of 192 pages came to my attention because I had read the short stories of Lily Yulianti Faridand discovered the Lontar Foundation, which seeks to enhance the profile of Indonesian writing by fostering its translation into English. There are not many titles to choose from at Amazon, … [Read more...]
What do you have to sacrifice to be a “grown up”?
May 5, 2017 by
In 1999, Keenan and Kugy start university in Indonesia. Keenan is being forced to go by his father. Keenan wants to be an artist but his father wants him to take business courses in order to have a real career. Kugy wants to be a writer. She’s been writing fairy tales her whole life. Kugy … [Read more...]
Depiction of struggle of Indonesia’s gays in ‘Sergius Mencari Bacchus’
May 3, 2017 by
Last week, Norman Erikson Pasaribu, a young short-story writer and poet from Bekasi, West Java, released a collection of poems entitled "Sergius Mencari Bacchus" (Sergius Searches for Bacchus). The collection won first prize at the Jakarta Arts Council's Poetry Manuscript Competition held last … [Read more...]
Indonesian Literature in Translation
April 27, 2017 by
My first approach to Indonesian Literature in translation came unexpectedly through the Italian book club in Jakarta where we read the book Pulang (Home) by Indonesian female author, Leila S. Chudori. I read the book, I met Leila Chudori personally and after this unforgettable initiation, I joined … [Read more...]
