Oct 08, 2024 Last Updated 4:30 AM, Oct 7, 2024

Fiction & Essays

Essay: The life of H.W. Emanuels (1916-1966)

More than six decades after being inspired as an undergraduate in Sydney, Ron Witton retraces his Indonesian language teacher's journey back to Suriname

Essay: Under the poetic stars

Makassar International Writers Festival and its ripple effects

Essay: Testing out my Bahasa Indonesia

We need to learn more about each other. If we do, we will find that in many ways we have much in common

Essay: What remains of the 1998 tragedy for the post-1998 generation

Hearing about my mother's experiences in May 1998 became a pivotal moment that has shaped my life. 

Essay: Local tradition in a global religious community in modern day Java

Ghosts and spirits often come up in conversation but attitudes are changing

Essay: A movement to remember

This essay is the first in a new series featuring the writing of and edited by young people.

Essay: Divine rejeki! What a wonderful windfall

How can you get rejeki? Like everything else about rejeki, the answer is something of a mystery.

Fiction: The Turning Wheel

Lontar Modern Indonesia Series

Fiction: Threads of Dignity

Lontar Modern Indonesia Series

Book review: A life told in three parts

Translations of Putu Oka Sukanta’s trilogy of novels, bring his stories of struggle, oppression and resilience spanning over sixty years of Indonesian history, to an English-speaking audience

The isolation poems by Putu Oka Sukanta

Poems by Putu Oka Sukanta were translated by Vannessa Hearman and Kiernan Box with commentary written by Vannessa Hearman based on her interview with the poet.

Essay: Don’t forget to wash up

Locked out of live theatre, Dina spent time pondering the meaning of physical space, enjoying rest time and helping others stay safe

Esei: Jangan lupa cuci piring

Terkunci dari teater langsung, Dina menghabiskan waktu merenungkan arti ruang fisik, menikmati waktu istirahat, dan membantu orang lain tetap aman

Essay: Seeking solace in the midst of COVID-19

Book clubs and creative communities have headed online where they provide Jakartans with vital connections and solace during the pandemic

Essay: Our Home Together?

Bandung School of Peace is leading the fight against intolerance in West Java

A day in the life of Bali’s miracle worker

Professor Suryani and her team are making a difference

Essay: Celebrating Imlek, Catholic style

Practices such as Imlek masses are a welcome example of tolerance and plurality

Fiction: Pasung

  His gaze is fixated on an indeterminate spot behind me, his arms hang loosely by his sides. Wearing nothing but a pair of faded black shorts, his ribs and collar bones rise above his cavernous stomach. His bulging eyes stand out. A ray of afternoon sun penetrates through a few holes on the attap roof above us, shining on some part of his left arm and shoulder. Sitting on the ground of this six-by-eight-metre hut with his back leaning against the wall, his dark brown skin blends in with the soil underneath us and the bamboo wall surrounding us.

Aging remarkably

A lifelong activist and retired midwife is teaching her peers to stay engaged… and not burden their children

Latest Articles

Book review: The Sun in His Eyes

Oct 07, 2024 - RON WITTON

Elusive promises of the Yogyakarta International Airport’s aerotropolis

Oct 02, 2024 - KHIDIR M PRAWIROSUSANTO & ELIESTA HANDITYA

Yogyakarta's new international airport and aerotropolis embody national aspirations, but at what cost to the locals it has displaced?

Book review: Beauty within tragedy

Sep 09, 2024 - DUNCAN GRAHAM

Strong ties

Sep 02, 2024 - RIKA FEBRIANI

Tradition helps Minangkabau protect the land from foreign investors

Essay: The life of H.W. Emanuels (1916-1966)

Aug 14, 2024 - RON WITTON

More than six decades after being inspired as an undergraduate in Sydney, Ron Witton retraces his Indonesian language teacher's journey back to Suriname

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A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.