Spotlight on UWRF 2008 authors

Kadek Krisna Adidharma ,  Contributor ,  Ubud   |  Thu, 07/10/2008 10:14 AM  |  Surfing Bali

Ten Indonesian authors have been chosen to take part in this year's Ubud's Writers & Readers Festival (UWRF).

The decision was based, in part, on how authors' works related to the festival's theme of Tri Hita Kara, a philosophy that strives for harmony between man, nature and the divine.

UWRF gives young, up-and-coming writers from Indonesia the chance to step into the international literary spotlight.

The ten were chosen from a pool of 35 Indonesian applicants.

The selection panel consisted of seasoned journalist Wayan Juniartha as well as literary greats Ahmad Tohari, Dorothea Rosa Herliany and Linda Christanty. The meeting, which took place in Yogyakarta, was chaired by the Indonesian program coordinator, Kadek Krishna Adidharma.

With boundless enthusiasm, UWRF founder and director Janet de Neefe said she was very pleased with the selection panel's recommendations.

"I am very excited about the lineup and extremely proud that the festival will be representing the freshest, most promising voices of Indonesia."

The merit of published works was the key factor in the selection process. Keeping gender and regional issues in mind, the selection panel was pleasantly surprised that half of the 10 writers were female and half were male, with authors from both rural and urban areas across Indonesia.

Among the selectees was Dyah Merta, a short-story writer and novelist born in Ponorogo, East Java, and raised in Lampung. Dyah's debut novel, Peri Kecil di Sungai Nipah (Nymph of Nipah) presents a harrowing story of family intrigue, secrets and betrayals as a village gets swept up and crushed by the unstoppable wheel of development.

This literary witness to a dark page in Indonesia's history describes how thugs, violence and the armed forces have become the tools of choice for Indonesia's rulers, used to convince people to hand over their entire lives -- including land, rivers, fields and peace.

"Dyah has the capacity to describe situations in detail with words that entice the imagination," said Wayan Juniartha.

"Her storytelling is lyrical, finding beauty while unflinchingly painting the pain of those powerless in the face of tyranny," he added.

This aspiring writer, who currently manages an independent publishing house in Yogyakarta, said she was very pleased to be invited.

"I would also like to share the draft of my second novel, which I have been researching for the past two years," said Dyah.

Nature lover, mountaineer, social worker, anthropologist and educator Saur Marlina Manurung, better known as Butet, was surprised to be selected, as she was not even aware of her nomination.

Saur won unanimous support from the selection team for her novelSokola Rimba (2007), an honest, humorous autobiographical account of her efforts in 1999-2004 to bring literacy and numeracy to the indigenous forest people of Jambi, Central Sumatra.

In 2003, she established SOKOLA, an alternative education group for indigenous communities. Her book has earned widespread acclaim, particularly for correcting many city dwellers' beliefs and assumptions about rural communities. In her account, Butet asks readers to reconsider the meaning of civilization.

Activist and writer Mohamad Guntur Romli will give the festival a first-hand account of the recent violence committed by FPI (Islam Defenders' Front) at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta.

Receiving the news of his selection while recovering from wounds sustained at Monas, Guntur said he was delighted to have this opportunity to present his moderate views on Islam. The young writer is a theology graduate from Al-Azhar University in Cairo, Egypt.

Besides serving as the editor of the Liberal Islam Network in Jakarta from 2005 to 2007, current discussion coordinator of Komunitas Utan Kayu and current editor & program manager of Jurnal Perempuan, Guntur also hosts a weekly talk show with former Indonesian president Abdurrahman Wahid on radio KBR68H. He has published six nonfiction titles that attempt to situate Islam within the context of Indonesia. His most recent book, Ustadz, Saya Sudah di Surga (I Am Finally in Heaven, Ustadz) was published by KataKita in 2007.

Mashuri, from East Java and winner of the Jakarta Arts Council Novel Quest 2007, will also be present at the festival along with M. Faisi of Madura, Lily Yulianti Farid of Makassar, Dino Umahuk of Aceh, Iyut Fitra of Padang and Jakarta residents Dewi Utari and Reda Gaudiamo.

"This selection is not a competition or a literary award. Writers are selected based on their potential to be literary ambassadors for Indonesia in this international forum," said Indonesian program coordinator Kadek Krishna Adidharma.

"Our criteria include, but are not limited to, the author's presentation skills, aand how the author's published works relate to the theme," he added.

-- The writer is UWRF Indonesian program coordinator

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