Indonesian environmental campaigners took a novel approach to raising climate awareness by publishing five children’s books about the country’s environmental issues. This podcast explores their creative process and the public’s response. While these cases could have substantial impacts on the … [Read more...]
The outcast and the village beauty: A tale of Indonesian star-crossed lovers
Mahfud Ikhwan’s novel blends love, murder mystery, and sociopolitical intrigue rooted in Indonesia’s colonial and postcolonial history. The silky filaments of cottonwood seeds float across the dark Javanese landscape of Mahfud Ikhwan’s mysterious account of a murder foretold with teasing … [Read more...]
Nuril Basri’s Maya is a lightweight coming-of-age tale set on board a cruise ship
Sold as a “tragicomic tale of an Indonesian migrant worker’s voyage through love and betrayal”, Indonesian writer Nuril Basri’s third novel does not accomplish enough emotional depth to qualify as tragedy, comedy or anywhere in between. Maya is, at best, an episodic and lightweight account of the … [Read more...]
Schools to include Indonesian literature in curricula
Among those included in the list is a book written by renowned author Pramoedya Ananta Toer titled Bumi Manusia (This Earth of Mankind), which was banned during President Soeharto’s authoritarian regime. The government’s plan to include literary works in all learning levels from elementary to … [Read more...]
Joko Pinurbo dies, Indonesia loses its best poet
Poet Joko Pinurbo died in Yogyakarta. Indonesian literature has lost one of its best poets. Literature Indonesia is hit by sad news. Poet Joko Pinurbo died at the age of 61 years in Yogyakarta, Saturday (27/4/2024) morning. The man who is familiarly called Jokpin is considered one of the best … [Read more...]