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BookWORM: Rain Chudori-Soerjoatmodjo - On women, love & endurance
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(A.Kurniawan Ulung) (A.Kurniawan Ulung)
(A.Kurniawan Ulung)
You can tell how much young author Rain Chudori loves books from how worn those in her collection are.
'I buy books in bulk and I usually read several at once. I always mark my books, I fold the corners of the pages, underline passages, write down margin notes,' the 21-year-old said.
Rain, the daughter of noted writer and Tempo magazine journalist Leila S. Chudori, has written more than 40 short stories since she was 14.
Her first story, 'Smoking with God', was first published by The Jakarta Post in 2009. It was included in the newly-published Monsoon Tiger and Other Stories, a compilation of short stories where Rain explores themes such as love and loneliness.
'I feel that love and loneliness are always seen as existing on opposite ends of a spectrum. On the contrary, I think that one can only exist in the presence of the other,' Rain explained.
'Love can be so lonely and I think it is during the loneliest moments in life that you can really recognize and appreciate the presence of love.'
Rain is working on her first novel The Little Match Girl, which she described as a modern take on the classical story by Hans Christian Andersen. 'The story will be set in an unnamed city and it will be about a little girl's search for her father. I'm also working on another novel right now. Both are in the research stage of the process.'
Besides writing novels, Rain has also been working on themurmurjournal.com, which publishes short stories, poems, essays, photo essays and artworks. 'I edit and I also write a film column and a literature column there.'
Motion picture becomes the latest medium to channel her creative talents. In 2014, Rain was nominated for Best New Actress by Piala Maya Indonesia for her performance in the Anggun Priambodo-directed movie, Rocket Rain.
'Working in film was a lovely coincidence. I never really planned to be an actress, but I've grown to love acting. I'm taking film studies at my university, and I'd love to write more about film,' said Rain.
When it comes to choosing books, Rain often listens to recommendations from her boyfriend.
'The person I trust most for book recommendations is my boyfriend, Max. He works in a bookstore and he's the most dedicated reader I know,' Rain says.
' JP/Yuliasri Perdani
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Too Much Happiness
by Alice Munro
Alice Munro has mastered the art of suffering in the subtlest of ways. She writes about women and the ways in which they survive in this moving world. This was the first book that my current boyfriend ever gave me the first time that we met, and to me, it felt like he immediately understood me. If there's any advice I can give, it's that the best partner is one who reads Alice Munro.
The Unbearable Lightness of Being
by Milan Kundera
Love comes in many languages. As people grow up, they develop their own languages that come from their own backgrounds, experiences and values. Yet, when two people fall in love, they manage to speak each other's languages. The most wonderful thing this book taught me is the sincerity of languages for those who are in love.
Rilke On Love And Other Difficulties
by Rainer Maria Rilke
In his letters on love, Rilke writes about helplessness, about displacement, about all the anxieties that one might have and how to make them beautiful. He tells us that the endurance that moves us within the world is what defines our present identity and what shapes our future. He tells us that the magnitude of our patience is what makes us alive.
