O

ne of the country'€™s productive writers, Alberthiene Endah, made her debut as biographer in 2003 when she released Seribu Satu KD (One Thousand and One of KD) about pop star Krisdayanti.

Since then, the woman, who once worked as a journalist for several magazines, has written at least nine more biographies, including on prominent fashion designer Anne Avantie and late veteran singer Chrisye, as well as seven novels. She lists three books that inspire her most:

Monica'€™s Story by Andrew Morton

The book offers an interesting way in telling stories about someone'€™s life as well as having a great approach in putting elements of a story within its sequence. Morton is simply a great storyteller as he can narrate complexity, conflict and inspiration in the most subtle and hypnotizing way. His book is easy to read.

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Interpreter of Maladies is the best book to learn about descriptive writings. I read books because I also want to learn things, not just to indulge myself. There is no way for me to read great books and then copy the words straight into my own work. No! I admire Lahiri for her talent in writing long descriptions without tiring out her readers.

Saman by Ayu Utami

Saman by Ayu Utami is simply my favorite book of all time. Why? Because it is a phenomenal breakthrough in Indonesian literature. Saman is a symbol of the rise of Indonesian women in fiction writing. For me, Ayu has talent in assembling glorious words.