In early 2020, Joko Pinurbo, Indonesia’s much beloved poet, had just released his latest poem collection, Perjamuan Khong Guan. It is divided into four parts (or, cans, in this case), and some numbers may not sound new anymore after their previous appearances in newspapers last year. However, … [Read more...]

Kitab Kawin by Laksmi Pamuntjak offers a bold perspective often overlooked in literature—telling the stories of women who are labeled as unfaithful, immoral, or simply “in the wrong.” Through a collection of layered narratives, this Indonesian writer explores the inner lives of wives and mistresses, … [Read more...]

The Dutch lack of awareness of its colonial past has almost become a cliché. Anticolonial activists clamouring for compensiation and pundits nostalgic for a past where the Netherlands once dared to dream of a permanent seat on the UN Security Council both lament the uneducated state of the public. … [Read more...]

In her book, Pious Girls, Annisa Beta challenges a common notion about young, middle-class Muslim women in Indonesia: that their lives aren’t inherently political. Through extensive research in various urban areas in Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta and Tasikmalaya, Beta demonstrates quite the opposite: … [Read more...]

Dear Reader, Let’s start with an excerpt from a novel I am reading, A Dark Tale From Cottonwood Grove, by Mahfud Ikhwan, translated by Annie Tucker. “He was well-acquainted with death. His mother had died giving birth to him. His grandfather, the person who loved him most in the world, had … [Read more...]