Books

The world of lontar will likely continue side by side with the new technologies of our digital age

Reincarnations of works by the great Indonesian comic artists challenge manga’s dominance

The story of Indonesian literature is a fragmenting journey from national myth to bewildering multiplication

'Fragrant literature' is giving way to a diversity of literary voices and identities

Young Indonesians are leading trends in Indonesian writing and publishing

Important Indonesian writing is emerging in unexpected forms

Deryn Mansell’s novel opens a window into Indonesia for younger readers

The Institute will continue to operate without its famous reading room

The memoir of a former human rights commission official gives insights into handling of human rights in Indonesia in the late New Order and early reformasi period

Can the descendants of both sides of 1965 come together to help the nation achieve reconciliation?

Marcus Mietzner argues that when seen in the context of other new democracies, Indonesia’s political parties are not so bad

Bob Lowry reviews the memoir of the current Jakarta governor and likely frontrunner for the 2014 presidential elections

Pulang'sauthor reflects on writing the stories of those unseen and unheard

Leila S. Chudori’s novel Pulang is an important addition to a growing literature examining the events of 1965-66 and its aftermath

The provocative Julia Suryakusuma on the rampage

Robbie Peters' new book brings the poor urban kampungs of Surabaya to life

Lia Kent’s study of East Timor’s attempts at transitional justice is an important contribution  

Margaret Kartomi’s life-long devotion to bringing Sumatran music to the world is revealed in her major contribution to analysing and preserving this musical heritage

A new publication tells the story of the first graduates of the joint Indonesian Armed Forces Military Academy

Editor’s note: For Indonesia-watchers the activities of the military and its leaders remain largely opaque and perhaps even menacing. In recent years the steady stream of memoirs and biographies by and about military leaders has, in some cases, assuaged some of this mystery and in others, added to the intrigue. As the public and judicial gaze has increasingly turned to the actions of military leaders with connections to the New Order, the memoir has been engaged by some as a form of testimony in an effort to ‘clear their name’. Whatever the motivation, with each new addition to this genre, we are offered new insights into the fractious and often treacherous ‘interior’ world of the Indonesian Armed Forces.

Suparman holds the line but reveals some new insights into the transition of power after the fall of the New Order