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View all search resultsIntan Paramaditha’s novel breaks new ground on the US literary stage
A finalist for the 2026 National Book Award, Night of a Thousand Hells marks a milestone for Indonesian literature while bringing its stories and concerns to a wider readership.
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Literary recognition: Intan Paramaditha holds a copy of her novel and finalist for the United States’ 2026 National Book Award for Translated Literature, Night of a Thousand Hells, which was translated by Stephen J. Epstein and Tiffany Tsao from the Indonesian original, Malam Seribu Jahanam. (Courtesy of Intan Paramaditha/-)
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ntan Paramaditha’s novel Night of a Thousand Hells, translated by Stephen J. Epstein and Tiffany Tsao, has become the first work by an Indonesian writer to reach the finalist stage of the 2026 National Book Award in the Translated Literature category.
Originally published in Indonesian as Malam Seribu Jahanam by Gramedia Pustaka Utama in 2023, the novel is now in the running for one of the most prestigious literary awards in the United States. The award has recognized translated literature since 2018.
Independent publisher Europa Editions, which released the novel in the US, congratulated Intan, Epstein and Tsao on their selection in an Instagram post, sharing the judges’ assessment of the book.
“The novel blends Indonesian folklore and Islamic mysticism in an examination of social mobility, migration and sisterhood set across Indonesia, the United States and Australia,” the judges wrote.
Intan welcomed the recognition but cautioned against treating it as proof of the inherent merit of Indonesian literature.
“These milestones do not mean that our books are exceptional and the rest of Indonesian literature is not. They mean that our literature has been treated as minor,” Intan told The Jakarta Post.
She said Indonesian literature remained little known abroad despite the country’s population of more than 280 million, citing geopolitical factors and decisions about which countries’ stories deserve to be translated.
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