Fiction & Essays

Many older readers of Inside Indonesia will remember John Barnard, who died earlier this year in Melbourne after a brief illness. John, who worked as a technician in the science laboratory at Monash University, was a regular attendee at the regular Centre for Southeast Asian Studies seminars where he loved to meet up with old friends and make new ones. A shy retiring person and a bachelor all his life, visiting Indonesia was always a significant annual event for him as his travel diary clearly shows. 

Joost Coté

Pat Walsh's book of short stories and poems takes us through a year of intimate encounters with Jakarta

Lontar Modern Indonesia Fiction Series

Lontar Modern Indonesian Fiction Series

Poems across the Indonesian-Australian divide

Mobile libraries and writers clubs reveal a rich reading and writing culture among Indonesian migrant workers in Hong Kong

A writer pays homage to the women writers and intellectuals who paved the way for others

Longlisted for the prestigious Man Booker International Prize Eka Kurniawan’s novel signals the birth of a sophisticated crime noir genre in Indonesian literature

Introduction to Man Tiger: A Novel by Eka Kurniawan

A monologue

Indonesia, beginning of the 1980s. The young journalist Tommy comes into contact with the survivors of the genocide that the New Order regime of General Suharto carried out. To her bewilderment she hears stories about lurid dancing, castrations and the murder by young girls of a number of generals in the night of October 1 1965.  Guided by Ibu Sri, herself a former prisoner and a member of the women’s organisation that was held responsible for these alleged sexual and sadistic perversions she sets herself the task to unravel these fantasies.  Who invented these hateful lies which were meant to incite mass organizations to murder possibly one million of their neighbors?  Tommy is betrayed and thrown into prison. 

Arguably Indonesia's finest living writer of fiction, Putu Wijaya reflects on Indonesia's nationhood in his short story, 'Freedom'.

A brief conversation between strangers provokes thoughts on Australia–Indonesia relations

Essays and Fiction is a new series of writing in Inside Indonesia that aims to give voice to more personal stories about Indonesia. We welcome submissions in the form of reflective pieces, fiction, artwork, or essays about travel and fieldwork experiences.

Hannah Rambe's The Longan Tree tells a story of modernisation, progress and loss in Indonesia

Recipient of the 2014 Khatulistiwa prize for poetry, Oka Rusmini's award-winning short story 'Putu Gives God a Hand' is a sharply witty critique of Balinese culture

Young emerging Indonesian poet

Essays and Fiction is a new series of writing in Inside Indonesia that aims to give voice to more personal stories about Indonesia. We welcome submissions in the form of reflective pieces, fiction, artwork, or essays about travel and fieldwork experiences.

A life in exile

We are very pleased to present the first offering in our new series celebrating Indonesian literature, launched in partnership with the Lontar Modern Indonesia Library. In 2015, Indonesia will be the 'Guest of Honour' at the Frankfurt International Book Fair. Inside Indonesia joins in this festival of modern Indonesian literature, offering examples of writing from the finest established authors to new and emerging talent. Selamat membaca!