A jubilant session with one of Indonesia’s living literary legends Nh. Dini was the highlight of the Ubud Writers and Readers Festival (UWRF) at Neka Museum in Ubud, Bali, on Thursday.

Hundreds of literary enthusiasts packed the museum’s open hall, listening attentively as Nh. Dini was interviewed by prominent journalist and writer Leila S Chudori.

The 81-year-old narrated how in 1951 a local radio program spurred her interest in writing. The program, featuring the reading of lyrical verses and their beauty, stimulated her to sit in front of her late father’s old typewriter and start composing her own verses.

She was still in middle school at that time and soon she was requested by the radio station to read her verses. The episode began an illustrious writing career that has spanned more than five decades. Her writings have earned her admiration here and abroad as well as gifting the nation with one of its pioneering feminist writers.

Previously on Wednesday night, her literary achievements and dedication were honored during the festival’s opening night at the Ubud royal palace when UWRF founder and director Janet DeNeefe named Nh. Dini as the recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award.

She is only the second author to receive the award in the history of the festival after the late Sitor Situmorang in 2010.

“Her works are courageous in their portrayal of Indonesian women as strong, opinionated characters who are not afraid to decide the course of their own life,” DeNeefe said. “Furthermore, her dedication to the art of writing is truly remarkable.”

Escorted to the stage by her son, Pierre Coffin, the acclaimed director behind the Despicable Me box office franchise and the voices of the Minions, Nh. Dini gave a moving acceptance speech, praising DeNeefe and the festival committee as “a bunch of crazy guys” for steadfastly organizing the annual gathering for 14 years.

“I asked them who was the recipient before me and when they told me that it was Sitor Situmorang, I instantly knew they were very serious about this award. I am really touched by this award,” she said.

This year the festival, which runs until Sunday, is being attended by some 160 authors from more than 30 countries, including big names such as Jung Chang, Simon Winchester, Ian Rankin, Madeleine Thien, Sutardji Calzoum Bachri, Seno Gumira Ajidarma, Ahmad Fuadi and Joko Pinurbo.

The programs have included more than 200 events, including panel discussions, book launches, workshops, film screenings, poetry slams, satellite events in four cities in Java and colorful night events, including the Origins Night on Thursday, in which acclaimed dancer Eko Supriyanto and the Papermoon Puppet Theatre performed at the Blanco Renaissance Museum.

“We designed the Origins Night as a fund-raising event and proceeds from this event will be channeled to relief efforts for evacuees of Mount Agung,” festival general manager Kadek Purnami said.

The festival has also been witness to the international debut of several young Indonesian writers in the Next Chapter of Indonesian Literature. The panel sessions revealed the diversity of subject matters tackled by these young writers.

Rizki Amir, a young poet from East Java who owns a shop selling secondhand goods, explained his fascination with traditional markets, saying that the marketplace was a reflection of the nation itself. Most of his poems deal with this subject.

“Traditional markets are not only a place to trade goods, they are also a showcase of Indonesia’s cultural and religious diversity, where people from different backgrounds share stories and gain a shared memory,” he said.

The session’s chair, Debra Yatim, a senior poet and rights activist, was delighted that these young writers had explored difficult topics in their works, from sexual harassment and gender oppression to the nature of lust.

The appearance of 16 young Indonesian writers was made possible through the festival’s signature Emerging Writers Program. This year, 711 writers submitted their works in the selection process with 16 of these invited.

Their selected works have been translated into English and published in the bilingual anthology, which will be launched on Saturday.

“The programs started in 2008 and since then we have flown 150 emerging writers to Ubud and published 10 bilingual anthologies. We take pride in this program because we believe in providing a platform for young Indonesian writers to reach a global audience,” DeNeefe said.

This year’s theme is “Origins,” in homage to the Balinese Hindu philosophy of Sangkan Paraning Dumadi, which acknowledges that we all will return to the source from which we were born.
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The festival’s full program can be accessed at ubudwritersfestival.com.

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