As IDWRITERS approaches its 10th year, I find myself reflecting on the journey that began with a simple goal: to spotlight Indonesian literature and connect our writers with a global audience. What started as a personal passion project has grown into a meaningful resource for those seeking curated … [Read more...]
Story
The Biography of a Newborn Baby
In this Indonesian short story, one baby’s fate is entwined with that of the nation. For the first time in his long career as a biographer, Abraham Yusra felt that he was being put to the test. Someone special had asked him to write the biography of a baby and he felt that he couldn’t refuse. But … [Read more...]
Geology
Indonesian poet and cultural critic Nirwan Dewanto explores metaphors of geography and geology. Geography is what our eyes can catch as far as vision takes them—to the surface of the earth disappearing beyond the horizon. We try to touch that surface, to own it, but in the end, what is high and … [Read more...]
Meteors
There were big eyes everywhere in the darkness. Darkness that seemed to go on forever. Then every one of the eyes opened, dispelling the dark. It was 11 p.m. at a distance of 25.3 light-years. The coordinate was fifty-seven degrees south of the constellation of Taurus. Tiansun stood idly facing … [Read more...]
Ben Anderson’s Final Message to a Street Musician in Jogja
Three months after the death of Benedict Richard O’Gorman Anderson in Batu—though his body was cared for in Surabaya—the word finally reaches Palrus through a sheet of discarded newspaper that he’s picked up to wrap his shoes in. The scrawny street musician chokes up as he reads the short article on … [Read more...]