Andrea Hirata said he could not believe it when he learned this month that he won the prize for general fiction from the New York Book Festival for his acclaimed novel Laskar Pelangi (The Rainbow Troops).

The disbelief is understandable: The award was given on June 21. However, Andrea said that he did not even know that his book was in the running.

It was a whole day before he was convinced the news was true, he adds.

The news from Andrea'€™s agent in the US, who entered the book in the festival, apparently did not reach him. The author, however, was ecstatic, calling the award '€œthe biggest thing that has happened in my career so far'€.

Festival director Bruce Haring said in an email that the Belitung-born author had won the prestigious festival'€™s most competitive award. '€œThe judges were impressed with Hirata'€™s prose and thought that The Rainbow Troops was a compelling story, which is the essence of what we look for in the general fiction category.'€

Andrea was modest. '€œI begin to feel that I am on the right track to reach international readers, as well as to improve the literary quality of my writing.'€ Note that The Rainbow Troops has been published in more than 100 countries and translated into around 30 languages.

 '€œI'€™ve heard other writers say that New York is the world barometer for literature, and this is one of the foremost festivals,'€ he continues. '€œThis is a '€˜Eureka!'€™ moment for me. I believe that the soul of a novel is storytelling, and that'€™s why I am more into story than I am into words. I am supposed to create energy, line after line, for readers in all cultures '€” that is now my biggest challenge.'€

Andrea is currently based as much as possible in his home village, Gantong, on Belitung Island, revisiting several of his novels previously published in Indonesian, while preparing a second work for Hanser Berlin, which published The Rainbow Troops in Germany to great success.

He says that the publisher has frequently contacted him to see if his next book is ready. '€œI can'€™t believe that a very respectable and long established European publisher is actually waiting for my work.'€

'€œIt gives me so much encouragement,'€ Andrea said. '€œI am aware that I am now facing a sophisticated international audience, so my written definition of Indonesian culture has to be broadened. One of the challenges is creating characters. I am trying to compose my sentences to express epic events happening to ordinary people.'€

The news from New York came when Andrea was in Europe for the Frankfurt Book Fair, which he describes as so big that he frequently became lost.

He also reports his surprise at seeing editions of The Rainbow Troops recently published in Italian (by Rizzoli) and Portuguese (by Presenca). The event also gave Andrea an opportunity to directly discuss the novel with some of his international editors.

Since his friend singer Meda Kawu took over management of the Kata Andrea Hirata Museum in Gantong, Andrea can concentrate on his writing '€” and on helping the residents of the remote island in a host of ways.

'€œAndrea Hirata is my inspiration,'€ Meda said. '€œI read his book and it touched my heart. Through it I learned about the value of persistence and endurance to reach a dream, which I now use in my singing career. When I got to know him and cooperate with him on many projects it was a dream come true for me.'€

The museum, a work in progress, has a staff of eight volunteers, according to Hirata. It has different themed rooms. Mostly there are photos and written information in frames on the walls about the book: its background, the film, the people involved in Andrea'€™s life, news reports and the international editions of the book.

Throughout the museum is the theme of inspiration.

Andrea explained: '€œWhen I was a child, I saw in the news that a person from Belitung had done well in sports in Jakarta, and I just couldn'€™t imagine that it was possible for someone from here to become famous, and it'€™s still very isolated out here. I have a motto in the museum display: '€˜Do I Inspire You?'€™ I hope that people will realize that if I can do it, then so can they.'€

The museum is also a community center, where Andrea and Meda share their knowledge with local residents, by, for example, teaching free extracurricular English language lessons to 23 enthusiastic teenage students over the last nine months.

 '€œIt is not easy to find English teachers in this remote place. I am so encouraged in seeing them make good progress. Now they have started telling us their hopes and dreams. At first they were so shy they could hardly talk to us,'€ Andrea said.

One student, Fitri Lezzano Al-farez, was positive. '€œWe learn fast, maybe because we love our teachers. The lessons are easy to understand because we study from the basics and it'€™s very practical.'€

Andrea has also been leading creative writing sessions with patients of nearby Panti Sosial Bina Laras Hijrah, a foundation for the rehabilitation of people who have had a mental illness.

'€œMost of the people were not really insane,'€ he says, '€œjust lost and struggling with life. I give them a subject to write about, such as telling about their childhood, their school friends or about Lebaran. Their writings are read out loud and shared with the group.'€

'€œI keep them all,'€ Andrea continued, '€œnobody could write anything at the first meeting, but now everyone writes at least half a page. Some people write several pages. I love it.'€

Andrea adds that he and Meda invite residents of Gantong for jam sessions, teaching anyone who wants to learn to play music. '€œThis island has a jazz band!'€ he says with pride.

'€œThese are moments that money can'€™t buy,'€ Meda added.

Andrea said that recently a crowd of about 70 people descended on him at the museum one afternoon, asking for autographs and to pose for pictures with him.

They were doctors and medical professors, in Belitung for a reunion. The location was chosen because of a shared love of the book. Andrea said that one had bought copies of The Rainbow Troops for his as yet unborn grandchildren.

Andrea loved to hear this, he said, deeming it highest praise possible.

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