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BookWorm: Christian Sutardi: Shifting reading habits
JP/Tertiani ZB SimanjuntakTechnopreneur Christian Sutardi is the man behind fast-growing Indonesian furniture startup Fabelio
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JP/Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak
Technopreneur Christian Sutardi is the man behind fast-growing Indonesian furniture startup Fabelio.
Christian, who is of mixed Indonesian and German descent, returned to Jakarta in 2012 in the employ of Berlin-based Foodpanda to incubate startups. He resigned and founded Fabelio in June.
'We have reached 100 percent growth in four months,' said Christian, adding that design-conscious, custom-made furniture was the startup's main focus.
The company has over 1,000 unique products listed on its site, all at affordable prices.
Holding a degree in German and English literature, Christian, 30, learned about tech-entrepreneurship and business management from textbooks.
'I always carry a book,' he said, taking a copy of The Little Black Book for Managers out of his backpack.
He bought the book, and an armful of others, three months ago at his favorite book store Kinokuniya in Plaza Senayan, Central Jakarta, knowing that he would read them all one day.
'I realized that my reading habits were changing. As a kid I read a chapter at a time, even on my way home from school. Now my attention span is shorter. After 15 minutes of reading I put away the book and reach for my phone,' he said.
His taste in books has also undergone transformation, from a childhood passion for stories of wizardry and fairy tales ' as well as adventure novel Robinson Crusoe ' to romance-themed stories in his teenage years.
'I like imagining being there, materializing in my mind the author's description of the sound, the smell and what the place look like.'
Christian said that his mother, a physiotherapist for the elderly, was a big reader who had dreamed of becoming a librarian or working at a bookstore.
'I was taught not to fold the corner of the page, as that is an insult to the author. That's why I always use a book mark or unused receipts to mark my place.'
He also mentioned his increasing enthusiasm for audio books downloaded from Youtube, as well as blog posts.
'I know I should read more books instead of articles,' he said, adding that he spent most of his time on his phone or computer.
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'The Kite Runner'
by Khaled Hosseini
Set in war-stricken Afghanistan, the story recounts the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father's servant.
I read it in high school as an assignment. The novel impressed me the most. I like books based on real stories.
'Zero to One Zero to One'
by Peter Thiel, Blake Masters (2014)
Thiel is a venture capitalist who founded PayPal and became an early investor in Facebook. A great person. Zero to One Zero to One: Notes on Startups, or How to Build the Future is a best-selling self-help book on creating values in different fields ' business, marketing and society.
I'd advise everyone to read this book, not only those involved in startups. It's the best book I've ever read. It is really thought-provoking.
'Faust'
by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Dubbed the magnum opus of the author and considered the greatest work in German literature, Faust tells the story of a man who sells his soul to the devil.
Hundreds of pages of prose and thousands of lines in rhymed verse, this novel is truly impressive.
I also found Shakespeare's Macbeth entertaining. I'm always fascinated by drama.
