Review – IDWRITERS

Jalan Tak Ada Ujung

August 6, 2025 by

Mochtar Lubis’ Jalan Tak Ada Ujung (or, A Road with No End in English translation) is a historical fiction set in 1946, a modern era in Indonesian history where the independence declaration the year before didn’t stop the Dutch from coming to its former colony to occupy it once more. First published … [Read more...]

Rewriting Faith, Rethinking Policy: A Queer Reading of Scripture and Its Challenge to Indonesia’s Public Morality Discourse

April 26, 2025 by

Throughout the long history of scriptural interpretation, authority has almost always sided with the dominant: men, heterosexuals, and those with privileged access to religious and state institutions. The holy text has often been “guarded” by a rigid and almost monolithic framework of … [Read more...]

Majapahit: Intrigue and Legacy in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire

April 21, 2025 by

Herald van der Linde’s Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire offers a gripping retelling of the rise and fall of Indonesia’s Greatest Empire. From its mythic beginnings with brutal anti-hero Ken Arok to its peak under Queen Tribhuwana and King Hayam Wuruk, the book … [Read more...]

Indonesia’s ‘Revolusi’ and the Birth of the Modern World: A Forgotten Epic Reimagined

April 21, 2025 by

In Indonesia, the colonial past has a conspicuously low profile in public consciousness and political debate, but the national revolution—”Revolusi” in Bahasa Indonesia—that threw off colonial rule once and for all nonetheless remains the single most defining moment in the country’s history. … [Read more...]

Medusae: The Monster’s Gaze and the Unspoken Wounds of Women

April 17, 2025 by

Indonesian literary enthusiasts may not yet be fully familiar with Theodora Sarah Abigail—often affectionately called Ebi—but she has published several notable works. Most of her books take the form of poetry chapbooks that explore themes of womanhood and femininity, and Medusae is no exception. … [Read more...]