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
April 8, 2025 by
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...]
Indies Literature: Thoughts on ‘This Earth of Mankind’ by Pramoedya Ananta Toer
April 7, 2025 by
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...]
The Making of the Buru Quartet
April 7, 2025 by
The Making of the Buru Quartet tells the powerful story behind Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s most significant literary achievement. Imprisoned without trial and exiled to the remote island of Buru, Pram began crafting what would become the Buru Quartet under unimaginable conditions—initially without … [Read more...]
Productive and Pious
April 6, 2025 by
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...]
