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Djenar takes on 14 men in new short story anthology
There isn’t much that can be said about Djenar Maesa Ayu that hasn’t already been said or written about before
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There isn’t much that can be said about Djenar Maesa Ayu that hasn’t already been said or written about before.
This 38-year-old woman has long proven to be formidable in all the roles that she has taken on in her life: novelist, short story writer, actress, screenwriter, filmmaker and, most importantly, the roles that she is most proud of — being a mother to two daughters and a grandmother to a baby girl.
Some have called her sexually frank work provocative and lurid, while others have denounced her as a shameless attention seeker.
But, as her close friends and many admirers know, she is simply a woman who is not afraid to be outspoken, someone who is comfortable and confident in her womanhood and a person who feels no need for pretention. She is merely herself. One might even argue that if she were male, her detractors would probably have no fuel to stoke the fire.
She has long defied the skewed standards applied to what an “Indonesian women” should be. She does this in fearless strides that have inspired thousands of women in her own generation and younger.
Djenar’s new offering, the short story collection 1 Perempuan, 14 Laki-laki (1 Woman, 14 Men), which was launched on her 38th birthday on Jan. 14, 2011, shows her expanding not only thematically but also methodically.
This unique and brave anthology consists of 14 stories co-written with 14 men from various professions: author Agus Noor, her brother Arya Yudistira Syuman, theater legend Butet Kartaredjasa, painter Enrico Soekarno, TV host Indra Herlambang, musician JRX of punk outfit Superman is Dead, actor Lukman Sardi, Catholic priest and educator Mudji Sutrisno SJ, businessman Nugroho Suksmanto, filmmaker Richard Oh, philosopher Robertus Robet, iconic dancer and choreographer Sardono W. Kusumo , Javanese puppetmaster and oral storyteller Sujiwo Tejo and advertising stalwart and film critic Totot Indrarto.
“It began with me asking my dear friend Agus Noor to collaborate with me on a short story,” Djenar explained, “because honestly, it’s been four years since I’ve written a short story. After making two films, everything I would start to write would end up being in screenplay form, despite the fact that I really wanted to write short prose again.”
The collaboration with Agus Noor turned out to be a success, the short story Kunang-kunang Dalam Bir (Fireflies in a Glass of Beer) was published in Kompas to great acclaim.
“That collaboration led me to the idea of asking 13 close male friends of mine from various professions. The reason I chose the number 14 is simply because I wanted to launch the book on my birthday, Jan. 14,” continued Djenar.
“The writing process itself took a little over a month,” Djenar said, “I invited the men to meet with me one on one at my favorite coffee shop, Coffeewar. Then we’d turn on my laptop and begin.”
As for the creation of each story, the process varied but was mostly freeform.
“The concept was basically to write without a concept. We would each take turns writing a few sentences or paragraphs without discussing characters, theme or structure,” Djenar said.
“Of course it made the process more difficult, because I would, at times, have this idea of where the story was going to go, then my partner continued and took it in a whole new direction. But, in a way, this was a very good thing because it allowed us to let the ideas grow as much as they could without being restricted to one particular mindset.”
As for what is next for this perpetually active woman, her fans might have to wait a while before they see a new creation from Djenar the filmmaker.
“In creating, I go where my heart leads me. If I’m suddenly inspired to write prose, I will. If I feel like I have a story better told in film, I’ll make a movie. If my heart says no, then I won’t force myself to go there. Right now I’m concentrating on finishing my novel Ranjang [Bed].”
The novel-in-progress was inspired by stories from the Petualangan Celana Dalam (The Undergarment Adventures) short story collection by one of her collaborators, businessman turned writer Nugroho Suksmanto.
“I actually began writing Ranjang four years ago but I never finished it. I hope to complete it this year.”
Whatever this ineffable creative force plans on doing next, it will most surely be the subject of attention and acclaim.
For a sneak peek at Djenar’s new work, excerpts can be found at www.djenar.com. As for 1 Perempuan, 14 Laki-laki, it is now available in a bookstore near you.
