Dewi Anggraeni

Also writes as D. Anggraeni Fraser, a native of Jakarta who is currently active as a journalist and writer in Melbourne, Anggraeni’s unique work is evidence of the diversity of cultural traditions which co-exist within Indonesia. She is an Adjunct Research Associate of the School of Political and Social Inquiry, Faculty of Arts, Monash University, Melbourne.

She attempts to interrogate the distinctive blend of cultures which come together in the archipelago and the relation of Indonesia to its neighbours, be they Asian or ostensibly ‘Western’ as is the case with Australia. This is most evident in her collection of short stories Neighbourhood Tales which was written half in English and half in Indonesian, and then translated into the other language, to offer a complete set of each. Even without this linguistic exercise the collection is a compelling example of cultural exchange and transaction, all seen through the lens of a culturally aware Indonesian. A further work by Anggraeni, The Root of All Evil, also looks at the relation between Indonesia, and Jakarta in particular, and Australia, this time through the eyes of a returning expat.¹

Gained a Master of Arts degree in Letters from the University of Indonesia and a Diploma of Education from La Trobe University in Melbourne where she settled. In Australia she has worked as a technical editor, a teacher of English as a Second Language and also as the Australian correspondent for Tempo, a major news and current affairs magazine in Indonesia, as correspondent for the daily English language newspaper, The Jakarta Post and for FORUM Keadilan. She has contributed periodically to INTAN (Indonesian Teachers’ Association) Newsletter and AIA News. Minh’s Free Country and A Foreigner in East Gippsland, were broadcast on Radio 3CR in 1986. She has been a member of the Fellowship of Australian Writers (FAW). In 1990, she received a Project Assistance Grant from the Victorian Ministry for the Arts.²

1. The Culture Trip ↩

2. AustLit ↩