Today in Central Java's Salatiga city, where coffee trees and bougainvilleas bloom, only a plaque at the entrance of the mayor's residence recognises the fleeting passage of a man who inspired writers from James Joyce to Jim Morrison.

For some, Thursday's surprise announcement, as Han had not been on any of the major lists of likely Nobel winners, fueled hope that literature might get an injection of life in the land of K-pop and Squid Game.

A short story writer and novelist, Han is best known for her book "The Vegetarian", which was her major international breakthrough and won the Man Booker Prize in 2016.

The Doomsday Clock, which is set by the Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists’ Science and Security Board (SASB), now stands at 90 seconds to midnight, reflecting the highest level of danger ever recorded, surpassing even the Cuban Missile Crisis.

Filled with Games of Thrones-worthy drama and intrigue, Majapahit: Intrigue, Betrayal and War in Indonesia’s Greatest Empire tells the stories of the Majapahit starting from the late 13th century, along with its kings, wives and admirals, many of whose names are already familiar to Indonesian students of history.

As an energy and climate professional, I have a comprehensive understanding of some scientific facts about the climate crisis, but I still struggle to navigate the intricate web that it has spun. The interplay of scientific data, political machinations and societal apathy often leaves me perplexed about the true scope of the challenge we confront. Nonetheless, I have discovered solace and inspiration in four indispensable books that provide insightful perspectives on the climate crisis and stimulate meaningful actions.

Systemic Silencing: Activism, Memory, and Sexual Violence in Indonesia by Katharine E. McGregor focuses on a subset of rakyat kecil (commoners), that is, lower-class women from rural towns and villages, mostly in Java, who played a significant role during the period of Japanese occupation in the early 1940s but whose presence was seemingly visible only to their oppressors.

The "lucky” ones – or the more privileged among us – may look back into the first two years of the pandemic through our social media feeds with a sense of bittersweet nostalgia. How can we forget the first days of remote working and studying from home, or that moment when we could only wave at our relatives during religious holidays? 

A recently published book captures not only VOC governor-general Jan Pieterszoon Coen's cruelty in his attempt to monopolize the nutmeg trade in Banda, but also emphasizes the side of the story from the Bandanese diaspora who fled prior to the horrific Banda massacre in 1621.

"Until August," the final book by the Nobel prize winning giant of Latin American "magical realism," is being released in its original Spanish as "En agosto nos vemos" on March 6, and in English later this month.

The book brings to life Indonesia’s epic struggle for independence in 1945-1949 and convincingly argues a case for the catalytic impact of this movement on decolonization in Asia and Africa following World War II.

Australian professor George Quinn translated an anthology of Javanese short stories to help introduce Javanese literature to a wider audience. 

Some US media outlets got early access to the more than 600-page book ahead of its official global release Tuesday, and several excerpts were published in recent days.

In 'Narasi Mematikan, Pendanaan Teror di Indonesia' (Deadly Narrative, the Funding of Terrorism in Indonesia), Noor Huda focuses on the financing of terrorism.

It spells out its message of what it will take to meet the rising climate risks by building higher resilience, finding new ways to adapt to the inevitable, and doing all we can to mitigate climate change by shifting to carbon-free growth paths.

"Unfortunately I can confirm that Mr Milan Kundera passed away yesterday (Tuesday) after a prolonged illness," Anna Mrazova, spokeswoman for the library in his native city of Brno, told AFP.

American-Indonesian author Nadia Bulkin talks about her passion for horror fiction and how her Indonesian roots have influenced her writing. 

On Wednesday, the word "pele" was added to the more than 167,000 words in the Michaelis Portuguese dictionary printed in Brazil.

The public and filmmakers have started to shift their gaze from the more mainstream fiction novels.

Dozens of excited Haruki Murakami fans queued outside a bookstore in Tokyo on Thursday for the midnight release of the world-renowned author's first novel in six years.

The author of "The Unbearable Lightness of Being" has gone full Marie Kondo, emptying the shelves of his Paris apartment of 3,000 of his own books.

A German-Indonesian team traced 12 German-trained Indonesian architects of the 1960s and wrote about their awe-inspiring life and works.  

It is championing reading as a way to tackle France's overflowing prisons, currently 20 percent over capacity.

A total of 1,269 individual "challenges" -- demands to restrict or remove one or more books -- were filed in the United States last year, the NGO said. 

Slowly but surely building a reputation as one of the most prolific and versatile writers in the industry, Jesse Q. Sutanto’s new book Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers will be released on March 14.

Author Isna Marifa discusses her time with the Cape Malay people and how it influenced her novel Mountains More Ancient.

Leading Australian expert on Indonesia Max Lane recounts late Indonesian literary giant Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s role in inspiring the downfall of former president Soeharto’s New Order regime through his Buru Quartet tetralogy