(JP/Jerry Adiguna)

Writer Seno Gumira Ajidarma is a man of ideas and he wants to keep his mind as open as possible, which means he doesn’t just stick to certain genres.

“I like all types of music and films, regardless of the genre, and I treat literature and other forms of art the same,” Seno says.

“Perhaps the term ‘like’ is not very suitable for me because I basically like to read, watch and listen due to my curious nature. To do that, I need to cast away my personal taste.”

He said the best way to describe his criteria for choosing books was whether he felt he needed to read the material in a particular book, something that had nothing to do with “like” and “dislike”.

Based on his need to fulfill his curiosity on various subjects and ideas, Seno has collected more non-fiction than fiction books.

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Scientific Soccer in the Seventies

Roger MacDonald and Eric Batty
For me, it is important to reveal the art of soccer in its true spirit without being burdened by its business, historical, political and cultural aspects. We should not deny that the expansion of those aspects of soccer has made it an important art form. However, it is also very interesting to see soccer simply from its tactical and strategic aspects, which according to the writers, was only scientifically developed during the 1970 World Cup in Mexico. It shows that soccer does not only rely on the talents of its players as individuals on the field.

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The Economics Book

DK
This book is very interesting especially for those who consider economics a complicated monetary matter to the point that they become allergic to it. This book introduces economics as a set of ideological issues and looks at how the discipline tries to answer the question of what is the best way to ensure welfare. In a glimpse, this book feels very philosophical although it is a bit too “light” to be considered a philosophical book. This book’s main function is to increase interest in economics among the general public by using well-designed diagrams and graphics.

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Sastra Jawa Kuno Selayang Pandang

PJ Zoetmoelder
The 650-page Sastra Jawa Kuno Selayang Pandang (A Brief Overview of Javanese Classic Literature) does not only provide answers in the field of philology but can also serve as a time tunnel to go back to ancient Javanese times. This book is the best key and guidebook to explore ancient Javanese literature. It was first written and published in English in 1974, and the Indonesian version was made available in 1983 through the translation work of Dick Hartoko. I have read this book dozens of times because of the explorations it provides.

— JP/Hans David Tampubolon

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