Belgium has conferred a royal honor on Indonesian feminist writer Julia Suryakusuma for her efforts to advance various human rights causes. During a ceremony held at the ambassadorial residence in Central Jakarta on Wednesday, Belgian Ambassador to Indonesia Stéphane de Loecker presented Julia … [Read more...]
‘Hunting for Muhammad’: Feby Indirani seeks to transcend political polarization
January 25, 2021 by
Feby Indirani has distinguished herself as an author who is capable of presenting the lives of Indonesian Muslims through an intimate and sympathetic eye. Although her short stories, particularly the ones published in her debut anthology Bukan Perawan Maria (Not the Virgin Mary, 2017), also tackle … [Read more...]
When Sergius meets Bacchus
January 8, 2021 by
It is telling that Norman Erikson Pasaribu's debut has been published in Australia rather than in Indonesia; the poet has achieved more recognition outside his home country than within it, where his poetry has prompted protest and disapproval. This is Indonesia's loss. Myth, Joseph Campbell once … [Read more...]
Indonesia’s Years of Violence
January 5, 2021 by
Indonesian writer Martin Aleida lived and wrote through a dark chapter of Indonesia’s history. His new memoir, "Romanticism in the Years of Violence", sheds new light on the oppression and stigma faced by journalists in Indonesia in the 1960s. … [Read more...]
Asian women writers gain a wider audience thanks to translations of their work crowdfunded by a British publisher
January 4, 2021 by
A publisher’s first Kickstarter campaign to showcase the works of Tamil, Korean, Nepalese and Vietnamese poets was so successful, it’s back for a second round ‘The more visible and the more heard the voices of diverse individuals and communities, the more inclusive and fairer our society will … [Read more...]