Polite teacher views human absurdity

After sinking themselves in the dark, absurd and insane world of Budi Darma's novel Olenka and short-story collection Orang-orang Bloomington, some readers made the trip to meet the author in person. They all returned with the same news: Budi Darma is -- to an almost disappointing level -- a polite man. Wearing thick glasses and dressed conservatively, he speaks with the reserve and polite manner of an old-fashioned teacher of morals. The person who wrote about wild sex on a table and insane thoughts of an alienated man who wanted to yank the arms of two poor children from their joints said he appeared that way because before he was essentially a teacher. Budi Darma, 68, has lectured for decades at the English Department of the State University of Surabaya (Unesa, formerly IKIP Surabaya), where he once was the rector in the 1980s.