9 Dari Nadira (9 From Nadira) brings together nine short stories revolving around the life of a woman named Nadira Suwandi.

The book begins with a tragic story, recreating the day when Nadira's mother, Kemala, is found dead on the floor of their home; shockingly, Kemala chose to commit suicide.

In the story "Mencari Seikat Seruni" (Looking for a Bundle of Seruni Flowers), Nadira strives to find seruni (Wedelia montana) for Kemala's funeral because of her mother's fondness for the flowers.

Mixed into this narrative are flashbacks about the life journey of Kemala and her husband Bram, Nadira's father.

Kemala's death changes Nadira's life in many ways. The fifth story, "Melukis Langit" (Painting the Sky), for instance, highlights her relationship with her father, who tries to cope with his own life after losing his wife.

Nadira throws herself into her work in an effort to heal her heart. She is described as a tough journalist and hard worker who often gets chances to interview the highest-profile people in the country.

"Tasbih" (Rosary Beads) captures her highs and lows as a journalist for a Jakarta magazine.

For example, in the course of her work, she interviews a psychopath who murdered women after torturing them; on another occasion, she talks to a famous businessman said to be involved in a criminal case.

In "Ciuman Terpanjang" (The Longest Kiss), Nadira's life brightens as she finds the love of her life, Niko, before deciding to marry him.

But the happiness does not last forever. Niko's unfaithfulness threatens their marriage, although Nadira's son keeps her together.

Leila's stories also look at the lives of those around Nadira, including Nina (her older sister), Arya (her brother) and Utara Bayu (who has long had a crush on Nadira).

Overall, the book offers a dark drama of human life.

"It's a story of survival and finding identity," Leila has said of the work. "Nadira is a woman with a complex character. She has gone through tragedy in her life, and she struggles to survive."

Four of the short stories in the book were previously published in magazines, between 1991 and 2009.

Despite the common thread running through the stories - Nadira - Leila has chosen to call this a short story collection rather than a novel. Nevertheless, "You can call it a novel or whatever," she said. "No problem."

To launch the book, Leila chose to turn one of the stories, "Kirana", into a play, performed at the launch event.

"Kirana" contains poetry and metaphors, representing Nadira's moods. Leila said that it was very suitable for a play, once adapted for the stage and directed by Arswendy Nasution, acting coach and actor.

Actress Dian Sastrowardoyo starred as Nadira, with actor Lukman Sardi as her husband Niko.

"Why Dian? Because she's great at reading poetry. She's very natural. I've also worked with her on several projects before," said Leila.

The production was made even more interesting by a performance by traditional dancer Wangi Indriya.

Born Dec. 12, 1962, Leila has been writing since she was a little girl. Her first short stories were published in local magazines such as Si Kuncung, Kawanku and Hai when she was 12. As she grew older, she had stories published in local and foreign publications.

Malam Terakhir, published in 1989, was translated into German. She is also active writing TV scripts, with credits including her initial collaboration with Dian in the 2006 TV series Dunia Tanpa Koma (The World Without Coma), which portrayed the lives of journalists.

She also wrote the script for Drupadi, an interpretation of Hindu epic, which has also been brought to the silver screen.

9 DARI NADIRA

by Leila S. Chudori

Kepustakaan Populer Gramedia (KPG),

270 pages

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