Oei Hiem Hwie quietly smuggled the Buru Quartet, a series of novels banned under Soeharto’s rule, past the regime’s ideological enforcers. Without his courage, one of the novels, Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), which explores the colonial period's sociopolitical issues, would have been … [Read more...]
Celebrated actor, writer Gunawan Maryanto passes away at 45
October 7, 2021 by
Gunawan Maryanto, who famously portrayed missing Indonesian poet and activist Widji Thukul in a 2016 film, passed away yesterday evening. He was 45 years old. Gunawan’s family said he died at a hospital in Yogyakarta following a cardiac arrest. The actor’s cousin, Agus Basuki, told local media … [Read more...]
In memory of Budi Darma; a snippet of correspondence about old people and old age
August 26, 2021 by
I received terrible news on Saturday. Budi Darma, the Indonesian author whose short story collection I recently translated, had passed away. He had been battling with covid for weeks. I had been receiving updates from someone at his publisher (Noura Books) about his condition and had been hopeful … [Read more...]
A radiant light: The Indonesian poet Amir Hamzah
August 24, 2021 by
The writer Amir Hamzah is a national hero in Indonesia celebrated for both his poetry and his role in the development of the country’s national language. Hamza was an emotional man who struggled with thwarted love and inner conflict and created a beguilingly intense body of work. His poetry paid … [Read more...]
Freedom! Freedom!: Women and Politics in Indonesian Literature
August 17, 2021 by
The 17th of August marks the day Indonesia rose to its knees. It’s natural then as if by automation, to think of Ir. Soekarno reading the proclamation aloud with charisma that lives on. It’s easy too, to think about a history so nuanced: the story of a quasi-socialist nation, bloody massacres … [Read more...]
